(Above: Aerial rendering of DC BLOX Greenville County data center)

Staff Report

DC BLOX unveiled plans to establish its next state-of-the-art data center in Greenville County, expected to bring five high-paying new positions initially along with anticipated investment of over $200 million combined between DC BLOX and their tenant customers over the next few years.

With the acceleration of digital transformation initiatives across industries, DC BLOX is developing essential infrastructure that strategically enables digital business across the Southeastern United States, according to officials with the Greenville Area Development Corp. 

“DC BLOX believes in serving locally and connecting globally,” said Jeff Uphues, CEO of DC BLOX. “We have long been attracted to this booming economic region, and are grateful to Greenville County, the Greenville Area Development Corporation, City of Greenville and the South Carolina Department of Commerce for working collaboratively with us to create a strong business case for DC BLOX to come to Greenville. We are excited to be able to serve South Carolina businesses and the greater Greenville and Upstate community.”

The new Greenville data center will join the interconnected data center fabric of DC BLOX’s sites in Birmingham, Atlanta, Huntsville and Chattanooga.

Located in Global Business Park bordering Interstate 85 and close to Clemson University’s CU-ICAR campus and other business and research parks, the site provides ideal access to metro and long-haul fiber routes from multiple providers, GADC officials said. The site was acquired with significant support and assistance from Global Trade Center /Fairforest of Greenville LLC  and its CEO and Owner Vivian Wong, the officials said.

“DC BLOX’s decision to locate its high-tech operations here is another sign that South Carolina’s business-friendly climate, infrastructure and skilled workforce are attracting companies to our state. This investment is a win for the Greenville area and the entire state of South Carolina,” said South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.

Customers of the new Greenville data center will have access to DC BLOX’s full range of colocation, connectivity and cloud storage solutions, including private, 100Gbps+ capacity network access to carriers, public cloud providers and Internet Exchanges, GADC officials said.

Organizations across the Carolinas and North Georgia have increasing demand for a Tier III rated regional data center that can provide the security, reliability, cost-efficiency and expertise that lets them focus resources strategically, the officials said.

Upon full build-out, the six-acre location will have five data halls with 45,000 square feet of data center space, capable of 15 megawatts of critical power, secure storage and shared and dedicated office space for locating enterprise security operations centers (SOC).

Built using leading-edge techniques and designed to Uptime Institute’s Tier III standards, the Greenville data center will be the first of its kind in South Carolina, including the security required to protect Controlled Unclassified Information, GADC officials said.

The site will serve the company’s expanding base of enterprise customers, content and cloud providers, wireless service providers, managed service providers, state and local governments, healthcare providers and educational institutions, the officials said.

DC BLOX said it is addressing changes in the technology landscape which are driving many organizations to increased digitization and distribution of IT infrastructure, including mobile applications, the Internet of Things, and the cloud. 

Recognizing surging demand in underserved markets across the Southeast, DC BLOX brings data center, connectivity and cloud capabilities previously available only in major metropolitan areas to underserved regions and markets, GADC officials said.

"It’s exciting to see another company recognize the benefits of doing business here in South Carolina. We celebrate DC BLOX’s decision to locate in Greenville County, and we look forward to seeing them grow here in the Palmetto State,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. 

DC BLOX connects businesses to any destination worldwide through its private network and global ecosystem of communications partners.

Its software-defined network fabric provides connectivity to the cloud, to partners and to providers, enabling fast response to business opportunities. The company is recognized for its supportive culture towards the communities where they do business, investing capital for data center construction while offering resources, training, education, services and facilities to local organizations, GADC officials said.

The new facility is expected to begin construction in the first quarter 2021 and be operational by the third quarter.  

Individuals and suppliers interested in joining with DC BLOX should visit the organization online at dcblox.com for more information.

“As a state-of-the art data center provider committed to serving locally and connecting globally, DC BLOX brings well-paying jobs and significant capital investment to Greenville. With its customers, it will help Greenville County accelerate economic growth and build on our reputation as a world-class technology community,” said Greenville County Council Chairman and GADC board member H.G. "Butch" Kirven.  

"DC BLOX is a welcome addition to the mix of companies doing business here, and should attract interest from many others."

Duke Energy’s Carolina Investment Fund for economic development approved a grant towards project expenditures incurred by the company, while the state's Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved a $50,000 set-aside grant to Greenville County to assist with the costs of site preparation and building improvements.

Since its founding in mid-2001, the GADC team’s efforts have resulted in the announcement of more than 29,000 new jobs and in excess of $5.3 billion in capital investment in Greenville County.  

To learn more, go to www.goGADC.com or call (864) 235-2008.