QTS Advances $8B Data Center Project

July 1, 2026

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The firm reached a construction milestone at its inaugural South Carolina campus.

Image with a topping out ceremony of general contractor Gilbane for a data center project in Rock Hill, S.C. — Gilbane team members celebrating the topping out the first building of the QTS campus. Image courtesy of Gilbane

QTS has topped out the first facility of its data center campus in Rock Hill, S.C., a nine-building complex that will come online in three phases. Gilbane serves as the project’s builder.

In the works since 2023, the campus represents QTS’s first South Carolina facility. The firm initially unveiled plans for a $1 billion investment that will turn York County into a new technology hub. Since then, the total value of the project has grown to $8 billion.

The data center complex is underway at 2143 Hands Mill Highway, in an industrial-zoned area comprising nearly 800 acres. York County, through its Coordinating Council for Economic Development, provided a $200,000 grant for site preparation.

Development plans call for nine facilities that will feature closed-loop cooling technology and generators with high-efficiency filters for protecting air quality and reduce emissions and noise. York Electric Cooperative will serve as power supplier.

The first phase of construction will include four buildings across 109 acres. The second phase is expected to break ground in early 2027.

The project will generate up to 1,000 construction jobs and 200 permanent, on-site jobs at the QTS campus, but the total long-term employment associated with the upcoming property is expected to grow higher. Additionally, the company’s Data Center Academy program will also provide paid training for individuals with no prior experience.

Recent QTS activity

QTS is one of the top data center developers in the country. The Blackstone-owned company has more than 90 properties spread across 15 U.S. states, several of which were recently refinanced.

Last month, the company obtained a $870 million financing package backed by five data center campuses spread across Phoenix, Richmond, Va., and Dallas-Fort Worth. Proceeds repay existing debt while also covering fund reserves, transaction costs and general corporate needs.

And in February, QTS got a $2.1 billion CMBS loan to refinance three campuses spread across Northern Virginia, Atlanta and Chicago. The note has a floating rate of 6.1 percent, a two-year maturity date and three one-year extension options.