SIGNALDATAAccountability. For the People. Preview
Data center project · Catawba County, North Carolina

Microsoft Catawba County data centers

Under construction · Microsoft's four-site, $1 billion-minimum build in Catawba County resumed in late 2025 after a pause of about 10 months.

← North Carolina data centers
Alamance CountyAlexander CountyAlleghany CountyAnson CountyAshe CountyAvery CountyBeaufort CountyBertie CountyBladen CountyBrunswick CountyBuncombe CountyBurke CountyCabarrus CountyCaldwell CountyCamden CountyCarteret CountyCaswell CountyCatawba CountyChatham CountyCherokee CountyChowan CountyClay CountyCleveland CountyColumbus CountyCraven CountyCumberland CountyCurrituck CountyDare CountyDavidson CountyDavie CountyDuplin CountyDurham CountyEdgecombe CountyForsyth CountyFranklin CountyGaston CountyGates CountyGraham CountyGranville CountyGreene CountyGuilford CountyHalifax CountyHarnett CountyHaywood CountyHenderson CountyHertford CountyHoke CountyHyde CountyIredell CountyJackson CountyJohnston CountyJones CountyLee CountyLenoir CountyLincoln CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMartin CountyMcDowell CountyMecklenburg CountyMitchell CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyNash CountyNew Hanover CountyNorthampton CountyOnslow CountyOrange CountyPamlico CountyPasquotank CountyPender CountyPerquimans CountyPerson CountyPitt CountyPolk CountyRandolph CountyRichmond CountyRobeson CountyRockingham CountyRowan CountyRutherford CountySampson CountyScotland CountyStanly CountyStokes CountySurry CountySwain CountyTransylvania CountyTyrrell CountyUnion CountyVance CountyWake CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWatauga CountyWayne CountyWilkes CountyWilson CountyYadkin CountyYancey CountyMicrosoft Catawba County data centers · Under construction
Status
Under construction · as of June 23, 2026
Location
Sites in Conover, Hickory, Maiden and Newton · Catawba County
Power
Not reported
No power figure in the sources reviewed.
Investment
At least $1 billion over 10 years under the local incentive agreements
Developer and team
Microsoft
End user
Microsoft
Water
City of Hickory; projected at about 1% of Hickory's daily water production capacity (county statement)
Incentives
Local incentive agreements (2022) tied to a $1 billion minimum investment; being amended in 2026 so the sites pay tax on full value
Evidence
Primary public records
Size class
Under 50 MW (outside main scope; kept for completeness)
Map position approximate, from the reported address or area. Updated Oct. 17, 2026.

Updates, newest first

  1. June 23, 2026 The county and its partner towns issued a joint statement saying the sites will pay property tax on full value, the local agreements are being amended, Hickory supplies the water, and the sites are expected to use about 1% of Hickory's daily water capacity. (Catawba County Government, June 23, 2026)
  2. Feb. 27, 2026 Building permits issued in November and December 2025 listed about $909 million in construction value, and crews were back at the sites, according to The Charlotte Observer's review of permit records as summarized by Hoodline. (Hoodline (citing The Charlotte Observer), Feb. 27, 2026)
  3. April 16, 2025 Microsoft said it had pushed back the timeline for some of the Catawba County work without giving a new schedule. (WSOC-TV / Charlotte Business Journal, April 16, 2025)
  4. Nov. 2022 Catawba County, Conover, Hickory, Maiden and the county economic development agency announced Microsoft's plan to invest at least $1 billion in four data centers over 10 years (as recounted in the county's 2026 statement). (Catawba County Government, June 23, 2026)

Conflicts and open questions

  • The four sites are mapped at one approximate point in Conover; exact parcels not pulled.

Have records about this project? Send them to tips@signaldata.org.