Nebius, an AI cloud company, will move forward with plans for a large AI factory in Independence, Missouri, after the City Council approved a Chapter 100 industrial development incentive plan. The Independence campus will include multiple buildings covering roughly 400 acres and the project could reach a capacity of 1.2 GW.
According to a press release, the factory will use a closed-loop cooling system to keep water usage similar to that of a restaurant or office building and will incorporate noise-reduction technology. It will connect to Independence Power & Light, the city’s municipal utility, without raising residential electricity rates.
Arkady Volozh, CEO, Nebius, said, “Independence will be our largest AI factory in the United States to date, this is our first project of this scale, but not the last.”
John Sutter, VP, U.S. Public Affairs, Nebius, said, “We are building AI infrastructure at scale, and we are doing it in a way that genuinely works for the communities where we operate.”
As part of the approved deal, Nebius will make Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT), expected to contribute more than US$ 650 million to the city and other taxing districts over 20 years.
Nebius already has operations in the Kansas City area and views the Independence factory as central to its long-term U.S. growth as the company emphasized community benefits and transparency in its operations.