Data centers in Catawba County, North Carolina: 3 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Microsoft is building four data centers in Catawba County, in Conover, Hickory, Maiden and Newton, after restarting work in early 2026 following a pause of about 10 months. Building permits put the four at a combined $909 million, part of a 2022 deal to invest at least $1 billion by 2032 and create at least 50 jobs. Apple's large data center campus off Startown Road in Maiden, open since 2010, is adding a $175 million, 237,600-square-foot building.

The restart and a drought brought questions from residents. On June 23, 2026 the county, its economic development corporation, Conover, Hickory and Maiden issued a joint letter defending the deal. It said the City of Hickory supplies water to every data center site in the county and that, once running, the Microsoft sites should use about 1 percent of Hickory's daily water capacity because they rely mainly on cooling that uses little water. Microsoft will pay property taxes on the full value of its buildings and equipment.

The county is no longer seeking more. "We're not actively chasing that sector for new investment," said Scott Millar of the Catawba County Economic Development Corp.; a new proposal would be reviewed but would not be the strong contender it once was. Millar says Apple's investment has grown to $6 billion from the $1 billion first promised, and that data center taxes let Maiden cut its tax rate from 40 to 38 cents. In Claremont, the data center Bed Bath & Beyond opened in 2013 was sold in 2025 to Data Journey, which rents space to other companies.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.