Columbus Pursues $5B Data Center Project

City leaders partner with Habitat Partners on 'Project Ruby' to bring major tech investment to Muscogee County.

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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Columbus, Georgia city leaders are in talks to bring a $5 billion data center project called 'Project Ruby' to the area, which would be one of the largest technological investments in the city's history. The Development Authority is partnering with Habitat Partners on the data center facility planned for Muscogee County. Officials are working to determine if there is sufficient water, sewer and power capacity in the proposed northeast corner of the county, and say the project will not require any incentives, tax breaks or impact customer water bills.

Why it matters

This major data center project represents a significant economic development opportunity for Columbus, potentially bringing jobs and investment to the region. However, some residents have raised concerns about the long-term environmental impact of the facility and whether local taxpayers will end up footing the bill.

The details

The proposed 'Project Ruby' data center would be located in the northeast corner of Muscogee County, bordering Harris and Talbot counties. Officials are working to ensure there is adequate infrastructure, including water, sewer and power capacity, to support the facility. While Columbus currently uses 31 million gallons of drinking water daily, the city's water infrastructure can handle up to 90 million gallons per day, according to the Columbus Water Works president.

  • Project Ruby is expected to be completed by 2028.
  • By 2035, the data center is projected to use nearly 260,000 gallons of water per day.

The players

Missy Kendrick

CEO of Choose Columbus, the city's economic development organization.

Jeremy Cummings

President and CEO of Columbus Water Works.

Amy Sharma

Scientist with Science for Georgia.

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What they’re saying

“We are not paying any incentives no inducements no tax breaks no nothing.”

— Missy Kendrick, CEO, Choose Columbus (WTVM)

“There should not be a impact in our customers bills. I look at it as a opportunity to bring in more revenue for Columbus Water works which in turn spread cost amongst our customers which helps us maintain cost so we don't have such a substantial increase.”

— Jeremy Cummings, President and CEO, Columbus Water Works (WTVM)

“A couple different ways that they could implement them if its fully closed loop then they just fill up the system once and they put a bunch of coolants in it like the coolants that you have in your air conditioner and then it doesn't end up using a lot of water.”

— Amy Sharma, Scientist, Science for Georgia (WTVM)

What’s next

Officials plan to hold town hall meetings in the near future to address resident concerns about the project.

The takeaway

This major data center investment represents a significant economic opportunity for Columbus, but city leaders must carefully navigate concerns about the project's environmental impact and ensure local taxpayers do not bear the burden of incentives or infrastructure costs.