The project, spearheaded by Rowan Digital Infrastructure, will transform the long-dormant 2,100-acre industrial site into a hub of digital activity. AWS plans to construct four highly equipped single-story buildings, covering nearly 777,000 square feet and delivering approximately 300 megawatts of computing capacity.
As for Frederick County, Amazon’s investment will establish Maryland’s first AWS Availability Zone, expanding the company’s cloud footprint beyond its highly congested Northern Virginia operations. The data centre is expected to generate quite some construction job opportunitites, permanent tech positions, and lump sum local tax revenues.
Why ‘Bauxite I’?
Despite the name, the Bauxite I project has little to do with the raw material itself. Bauxite is the primary ore used to produce aluminium, and the reference is largely symbolic. The former Eastalco site was once home to one of America’s largest aluminium smelting operations, run by Alcoa from 1969 until the plant’s closure in 2010.
By naming the new development ‘Bauxite I’, the project acknowledges the site’s industrial past while signalling its future as a digital powerhouse. It is a nod to the site’s legacy of heavy industry, now reimagined for the information age.
