Lancaster AI Hub Unveils New Local Economic Impact Data

More than $80 Million in Subcontracts Awarded To Date, Benefits Overwhelmingly to Local Businesses and Residents

LANCASTER, Pa., Sept. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lancaster AI Hub today released new data on the project's economic impact in Lancaster County and surrounding areas to date, detailing more than $80 million already injected in the local economy, with benefits overwhelmingly impacting local businesses and residents.

The Lancaster AI Hub will transform vacant industrial buildings at two locations in Lancaster into state-of-art data centers powering AI tools and services, and will create local jobs and opportunities for individuals from all educational backgrounds, and will deliver those benefits in a sustainable, responsible way. The AI Hub is being developed by Chirisa Technology Parks and Machine Investment Group.

New Local Economic Impact Data

To date, the Lancaster AI Hub has:

• Awarded more than $80 million in subcontracts;
• Directed 77% of total subcontracted dollars to businesses in the region;
• Employed almost 90% local labor; and
• Awarded approximately 60% of contracts to small or disadvantaged businesses.

During the initial phases of construction, the project is expected to create approximately 600 good-paying jobs, as previously announced.

That estimate has now grown significantly, with total construction-related job creation projected to reach 1,500 to 2,000 jobs.

"We are committed to ensuring that Lancaster and the broader region directly benefit from this transformative investment," said David Kelly, Managing Director North America at Chirisa Technology Parks, one of the joint developers of the project. "The Lancaster AI Hub is a more than $10 billion investment that will generate construction, technical, and skilled trade jobs in the near term. In the long run, it will fuel regional economic growth by creating local jobs for people of all educational backgrounds, attracting new talent to the area, supporting small businesses, and strengthening local supply chains."

"Our firm has been committed to this city's success since our company was founded, right here in Lancaster, 135 years ago," said Jeff Sturla, Vice President at Wohlsen Construction Company, which is leading the construction of the project. "Wohlsen is delighted to be engaged in this innovative redevelopment project that is going to deliver long-term benefits for Lancaster."

"A project of this scale has the potential to generate significant, long-term economic benefits for the community well beyond the construction phase," said Ezra Rothman, President of EDC Lancaster County, the county's lead economic development organization. "An AI hub in Lancaster could create opportunities that extend far beyond the project itself and serve as a catalyst for additional investment and local business growth. As a community, we need to engage to understand the impacts and how we can partner to maximize the local potential of this project."

AI leader CoreWeave has invested in the Lancaster AI Hub and will lease the site as part of its commitment to building future-ready AI infrastructure hubs. The Lancaster location will join CoreWeave's expanding global network of AI data centers.

Funds managed by Blue Owl Capital and affiliates of Chirisa Technology Parks and Machine Investment Group closed a joint venture partnership announced in August 2025 to provide funding for the project.

About the Lancaster AI Hub

The Lancaster AI Hub is a joint venture between Chirisa Technology Parks and Machine Investment Group, aimed at transforming 144 acres of vacant industrial buildings into one of the country's most advanced datacenter campuses. Located at the former R.R. Donnelley/LSC Communications sites on Harrisburg Pike and Greenfield Road, the Hub will power the AI tools and digital services that are shaping the future of business, education, and government.

The project represents a key step forward in building Pennsylvania's innovation economy – creating local jobs across the economic spectrum and for people of all educational backgrounds, supporting small and local businesses as partners and vendors, and positioning the region to take advantage of the opportunities created by the development of AI.

SOURCE Chirisa Piscataway Inc.