An AI factory which is a large-scale data center campus, on the Logix Innovation Campus, on land zoned industrial.
Approximately 800,000 square feet of building space representing a total capital investment of $7.5 billion in the city of Frankfort.
The Logix Innovation Campus site is zoned industrial, sits near the Frankfort Municipal Airport, and the project site in Frankfort is less than an hour from Purdue University.
Final building count and height are being confirmed as design work continues. The information will be available prior to the site plan approval hearing, and the concept site plan will be displayed during the Open Houses.
DataOne was created in November 2024 by Charles-Antoine Beyney. BSO Group holds 80% of the company. The 20% remaining is held privately.
The identity will be disclosed when an official announcement at a later date. Specific tenant identities are typically kept confidential in this industry, consistent with standard commercial practice at the beginning of the process. However, an official announcement will be made in coordination with the tenant and the customer once all approvals have been received.
DataOne designs, builds, and operates its own facilities in the US and in France. It is a long-term investor building for the long haul, not a short-term developer.
DataOne was created in November 2024 by BSO who holds 80% of the company. The 20% remaining is held privately. The CEO of the company is Charles-Antoine Beyney, an entrepreneur with 26 years of experience in AI factory and data center construction and development around the globe.
A traditional data center mainly stores, processes, and distributes digital data, websites, email and cloud services. An AI factory is a high-density facility specifically designed to train and run artificial intelligence models. For the community, in practice, it is a secure, quiet, industrial building that hosts the technology behind tools people already use every day: navigation, weather forecasting, fraud protection, medical imaging, and precision farming.
AI Factories are purpose-built to unlock the intensive computing power behind AI: they use specialized GPUs designed for the parallel processing AI needs, supported by advanced liquid cooling systems that efficiently manage the higher energy density, ultra-fast networking that lets thousands of processors collaborate seamlessly on complex tasks, and a hardware strategy that keeps pace with rapidly advancing technology. These are all built on the same strong foundation of secure, powered, and well-maintained infrastructure that any datacenter provides.
A detailed construction schedule will be released if the project is launched and kept current on the FAQ website. DataOne plans for groundbreaking to occur late 2026 or very early 2027 if all approvals are met. The schedule will be fully determined and communicated from that point on.
Because DataOne designs, builds, and operates everything itself, construction should move faster than most of the industry: an estimated 18-24 months of construction for this project in Frankfort.
A dedicated e-mail address has been created specifically to answer all the questions you may have: ask@dataonefrankfort.com. The FAQ website at dataonefrankfort.com will also be updated as new questions come in and additional information is made available.
AI is already part of daily life in Indiana: from crop-planning tools on local farms, to earlier disease detection in hospitals, and more accurate storm warnings, Indiana residents use AI every day. This type of technology must be hosted somewhere, and the communities that host it benefit first, through jobs, high tax revenue, infrastructure investment improvements, and training and education opportunities. DataOne believes that if this infrastructure is going to be built, it should be built to the highest environmental standard, by a company that provides its own resources.
In terms of taxes, DataOne will be the biggest taxpayer in the City of Frankfort, and will therefore contribute towards improving and developing Frankfort’s infrastructure and services. These include public schools, municipal services, roads and infrastructure maintenance. DataOne will also strengthen the grid by bringing a new substation to the City and will provide jobs and learning possibilities to the residents.
An AI factory built using DataOne’s most sustainable processes, techniques, and technology powered by a combination of gas-fed fuel cells and grid electricity. The building itself will be cooled using a closed-loop system which will reduce water consumption significantly. It will also be built on land already zoned industrial, so it will not have an impact on local agriculture or farming.
The parcel of land is approximately 115 acres. The main building itself will be 800,000 square feet approximately.
While it may look like a warehouse or distribution center from the outside, an AI factory has far less traffic and few deliveries causing less disruptive traffic for its neighbors.
DataOne is aware of the broader concern across central Indiana about large water withdrawals from the regional aquifer. The facility’s design does not depend on, and will not require large water withdrawals, today or in the future. DataOne uses a closed loop system with a limited consumption of 8 million gallons per year. For comparison, DataOne’s facility will use, on average, 22,000 gallons of water per day. The average daily amount of water usage among all of the Frankfort Municipal Utilities’ water customers is approximately 4.3 Million to 4.6 Million gallons of water per day. That means DataOne will only use between 0.51 percent to 0.47 percent of the total water consumed by Frankfort Municipal Utilities’ customers per day.
An estimated 8 million gallons per year which is significantly less than the 4.3 - 4.6 million gallons per day usage by the customers of the Frankfort Municipal Utilities.
The Racks - where the AI technology is stored - are cooled via direct-to-chip cooling using a closed-circuit propylene glycol loop, paired with a closed-circuit chilled-water system and dry air coolers. The dry coolers normally run dry (just a fan across a coil).
The project’s water source for initial fill of the closed loop system is the local municipal utility, not private wells nor the aquifer.
Water use for cooling is concentrated on hot days and the system is designed to run largely without water most of the year.
No. DataOne is buying 350MW which is available from the grid and self-generating the rest of the power (175MW) off-market through fuel cell technology. This process will not affect the prices as the energy from the grid is already made available through the Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA). Every cost linked to the new substations is paid by DataOne, not residents.
Frankfort Municipal Utilities (FMU)’s wholesale power provider, the Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA), has developed protections in the form of rates and policies to shield ratepayers from the costs of these developments. One such policy is IMPA’s Large Load Tariff for power users of size 40 megawatts (MW) or greater. This market-based, pass-through rate includes capacity, energy, transmission, ancillary services, and administrative costs for IMPA and its member utilities. The rate is structured in such a way that it is a complete pass-through to the large load user, including a value-added administrative fee. Additionally, IMPA will require the potential project to pay for all physical system upgrades that need to be built to deliver the power to the facility. Thus, the costs to serve the load are borne by the end user, not shifted to existing customers or the local utility.
DataOne is funding two brand-new substations, one of which will be transferred to the Frankfort Municipal Utilities as its permanent infrastructure, and other to be used solely by DataOne. This contributes to strengthening the grid by bringing on brand new equipment. Additionally, all necessary system upgrades will be completely funded by DataOne.
350MW comes from the grid, provided by IMPA and 175MW will be on-site power generated by fuel cells. They are complementary and will work together to power the AI factory once completed.
Power comes from a clean mix of grid energy and self-generated power through fuel cells: quiet, low-emission technology.
Fuel cells convert natural gas into electricity directly through a controlled electrochemical process. The result is cleaner air, quieter operation, and significantly less water use than conventional power generation. This is why they’re fully part of DataOne’s clean-power approach.
In terms of safety, they respect local regulations and have an extra layer of safety integrated in the initial design through the protective case around the fuel cell. In addition to this, DataOne will maintain strict safety hazard processes around the site.
On the fuel cell, air enters one side, and natural gas enters the other, separated by a ceramic layer. Oxygen from the air passes through the ceramic and combines with the fuel. That reaction produces electricity, a small amount of water vapor, and heat. The water gets recycled back into the process. As long as fuel and air are supplied, the system keeps generating power continuously, without combustion, and without the noise or exhaust that comes with burning fuel.
Onsite power means the project can run independently, generating its own electricity rather than pulling from the grid that residences and local businesses rely on.
Bloom fuel cells are designed to be a good neighbor. The fuel cells operate at roughly the volume of a commercial air conditioner. With no combustion, there is no rumble, no roar, and no smell. The units themselves are compact and typically require no transmission lines or substations. Because fuel cells generate significantly more power per square foot than wind or solar installations, they can meet large energy needs without large land requirements.
The construction period will be powered through the grid as 60MW will be available through the new substation. Therefore, no generators will be needed. After construction, the facility will run on grid power and fuel cells alone.
DataOne is funding and constructing two substations, one of which will be used during construction and then will be transferred to the Frankfort Municipal Utilities and become part of the permanent local grid at no cost to residents. DataOne will keep the other substation for its own use in providing power to the AI factory.
The fuel cell is behind the meter power generation source and is not directly connected to the utility grid. Therefore, in case of failure, any outage would be controlled and limited to the site only.
With regards to the substation, fault or failure will not result in a Frankfort-wide outage. The substation will be equipped with the necessary protection systems and relays that will detect fault conditions and isolate the affected equipment by tripping the appropriate breakers. In addition, upstream utility protection settings are designed to coordinate with site protection systems and prevent unnecessary impacts on the wider grid.
DataOne’s fuel cells use natural gas as a feedstock and convert it to electricity cleanly and efficiently, without combustion. The intent is for supply to be contracted through dedicated capacity, with residents’ gas usage taking priority, so the project does not compete with households for supply.
CenterPoint Energy
A liquid natural gas (LNG) storage tank on-site is expected to serve as a back-up to pipeline gas supply, to cover interruption periods. The tank would be sited in a location reviewed for safety and subject to standard Fire Department inspection.
The LNG tank system is a back-up solution supply for the fuel cells in the event of shortage in the winter months. An LNG is storage tank that holds natural gas. Natural gas will be delivered to the site at the meter by CenterPoint Energy. Gas pipes from the meter will be connected to the LNG tank. We will be fully compliant to safety and security to local regulations.
The total of City Community Enhancement payments before CPI (Consumer Price Index) adjustment is 126.5 Million Dollars through 2054. The total investment on behalf of DataOne is 7.5 Billion Dollars.
Upfront Payments
DataOne will start making Community Enhancement upfront payments as follows:
- 1 Million Dollars within 30 days of the Community Enhancement Agreement execution. (aimed Q4 2026, depending on City of Frankfort approval)
- 1 Million Dollars upon issuance of building permit (May 2027)
- 1 Million Dollars upon issuance of certificate of occupancy (anticipated to be 2028)
- 5 Million Dollars by June 30, 2029
Electric Infrastructure Benefit:
A 6 to 8 Million Dollars substation constructed and transferred to Frankfort Municipal Utilities.
Annual Payments:
4.5 Million Dollars of annual payments through 25 years of payment (2030 – 2054), increased annually by Consumer Price Index cumulative increases.
150 Thousand Dollars in 1% Local reinvestment of Sales and Use Tax Exemption annually.
No. An AI factory is one of the highest taxpayers a community can host, generating significant property, business, and sales tax revenue while placing minimal demand on schools, roads, and public services. That revenue is intended to support Frankfort’s schools, emergency services, infrastructure, and community programs for decades.
DataOne hires locally first and works directly with local builders and suppliers. 81 different local companies have been identified to work on the construction of this project, and they will be part of the selection process as the project moves forward.
The roughly 200 operational positions are stable, well-paying, long-term careers across all skill levels — not temporary work. 100 will be for DataOne operations directly, and another 100 on behalf of the tenant. During construction, 2000 people will be needed at peak construction periods.
Yes, the project is designed to bring training, apprenticeships, and skills development in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries, including opportunities for Frankfort students, leveraging the project’s proximity to Purdue.
Roles range from skilled trades and technicians to engineering and operations positions. Some will require degrees and certifications, while others will be entry level jobs.
The workforce plan includes training, apprenticeships, and skills development so residents without prior AI Factory experience have a path in.
Yes, infrastructure of this kind typically operates around the clock with on-site staff across shifts to maintain operations and respond immediately to any issue.
No road closures are expected.
No delays are expected.
DataOne works directly with local builders and suppliers and hires locally first. DataOne also has a construction branch called DataOne Construction with a core team who will manage the construction coordination as a whole and construction workers and from various fields working on different aspects of the project at its peak.
Specific truck-volume estimates will be part of the construction traffic plan, which is still in development and should be delivered by the end of the year.
DataOne’s facilities are designed to strictly meet all applicable noise regulations, in construction and in ongoing operation. These will include adequate landscaping with berms and trees, as well as sound walls. Further details will be made available as the final site plan progresses.
DataOne’s site design will take into account minimum light pollution for surrounding residents, including downward facing lights and dark-sky-friendly lighting design principles, which include useful, targeted, low-level, controlled, and warm-colored. If we follow these principles, we believe we can address any lighting concerns that may exist and eliminate them.
On-site generation technology (fuel cells) is inherently quieter than traditional diesel generators. There will be no diesel generators on site.
Full and continued compliance with all applicable noise regulations; quiet-by-design equipment (fuel cells are significantly quieter than conventional generation and closed-loop cooling avoids the loudest equipment found at older data centers); independent sound specialists engaged before, during, and after construction, with monitoring stations; and construction timing and sequencing adjusted in response to community feedback.
Site lighting is intended to be downward directed, shielded, and limited to what safety and security require. Exterior lighting plans will comply with local requirements and will be shared as part of DataOne’s public project documentation.
No. The site is already zoned as industrial land, not active farmland use.
The land is currently under a year-to-year agricultural lease. Current crops will be harvested on their normal seasonal schedule (in October) before any site work begins.
Email ask@dataonefrankfort.com.
A community benefits program beyond tax revenue and jobs is being finalized. Residents will be able to discuss and make suggestions during the Open Houses.
Yes. Requests for a follow-up conversation can be made anytime through ask@dataonefrankfort.com.
A new substation, funded entirely by DataOne, strengthening Frankfort’s grid for everyone; high tax revenue for the City and residents, a lasting annual tax contribution for schools, roads, and emergency services once the incentive structure is approved; training and education partnerships for local workers and young people; and a permanent open line — a dedicated community email, public environmental information, and ongoing community meetings, backed by a FAQ website.
DataOne will hold community forums, answer every question sent to the dedicated email, and publish updates as the project advances. Because DataOne designs, builds, and operates the facility itself, the company residents can hold accountable is the same one doing the work. There will also be a dedicated phone number for residents to call with questions or concerns.