New Jersey’s 7 Biggest AI Data Centers You Can See Today

Having just read that one massive facility is about to come online in Cumberland County, with another behemoth possibly in the works in Gloucester County, I decided to do some digging into where New Jersey stands when it comes to AI data centers.

They are seemingly always in the news these days, if for no other reason than they consume massive amounts of electricity. And while you and I are paying some of the highest electric bills that we've ever seen in our lifetimes, these AI data centers pop up and can use the same amount of juice as a small city (that's not an exaggeration).

Best I can tell, New Jersey already has somewhere in the neighborhood of about 80 AI data centers that are up and running.

Many AI Data Centers in North Jersey

According to datacenters.com, which tracks these facilities nationwide, almost all of these (for now) are in North Jersey, pretty close to New York City. Obviously, with some 15 million people in the NYC metro, that's where you would want most of this computing power.

Per that website, the New Jersey cities with the most AI data processing centers are Secaucus, Piscataway, Newark, and Clifton.

And, since real estate is what it is in North Jersey, many of these facilities were built in existing office buildings, but some are the giant Amazon warehouse-looking structures that are defining the industry.

This one in Secaucus, for example, kinda looks like a spot where they make bread or snacks or something...

• READ MORE: Where License Plate Cameras (and AI) are Tracking Drivers in South Jersey

In a moment, we'll take a look at some of the biggest AI data centers in the Garden State, but I wanted to quickly mention those in South Jersey that I referenced at the top of this article.

Vineland DataOne Facility – 2.4 Million Square Feet

The first part of a massive facility in Vineland is just about done, and expansion work is already reportedly getting underway. 42freeway.com reports DataOne's plans in Cumberland County are for a complex that totals 2.4 million square feet (that's roughly the size of 15 Walmart stores) on Lincoln Ave. right off of Route 55.

A community town hall meeting on the project is scheduled for this Wednesday at 5 PM at the Landis Theater. Those wishing to attend are advised to get there well before 5:00 due to limited seating.

Potential Monroe Township AI Site?

Meanwhile, up in Monroe Township, Gloucester County, there is a 172-acre plot of farm land right on the Black Horse Pike that could -- and we stress the word "could" -- one day, be home to an AI data center that would be somewhere around 1.6 million square feet. As of now, the plan is only to build giant warehouses there, but locals are worried that a project of that size could easily turn into an AI data center.

• READ MORE: 18 Numbers That Reveal What Life in New Jersey is Really Like

New Jersey's Biggest AI Data Centers

Using the information provided by datacenters.com, we decided to take a look at some of the biggest AI data centers in the Garden State. Some facilities do not have much information to go on, while others do. And, I'll be honest, that website isn't the easiest to figure out, so any errors shown below are not intentional (and we welcome corrections).

To put the size in perspective, an average Walmart store is about 160,000 to 180,000 square feet, while an Amazon fulfillment center can be around 1 million square feet.

Chris Coleman, a South Jersey native, is the brand manager for WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM and afternoon on-air personality on WPUR Cat Country 107.3 in Atlantic City, NJ. He joined the station in February 1998 and covers news, events, and stories of interest across Southern New Jersey for Townsquare Media. Story tips: chris.coleman@townsquaremedia.com