Nearly a year after announcing plans to build a data center in the Upstate, a New York-based company has revealed some details.
TigerDC announced Tuesday that it is the company behind Project Spero, a massive AI data processing center in Spartanburg County’s Tyger River Industrial Park.
The company already has been operating a bitcoin mining facility in Spartanburg County since 2022. Spero would be TigerDC’s second project in the county.
While the company touts responsible investment and environmental stewardship as guiding principles for Project Spero, public backlash to the project has been steady.
“Data center design has evolved significantly over the past decade,” said TigerDC CEO Jerry Tang in a statement. “Project Spero reflects those advances by addressing the concerns associated with older facilities and applying today’s best practices in efficiency, safety, and environmental protection.”
But many residents dislike that Spartanburg County is becoming a place for data center development. NorthMark Strategies announced a data center project in Spartanburg County last year.
Another data center, owned by Cielo Digital Infrastructure and also announced last year, is in the works in neighboring Cherokee County.
Spartanburg County Council initially approved the project on a first reading last year, but has since delayed additional votes that had been scheduled for council meetings in November and December. Public outcry and growing resistance on the county council have increased.
Councilman Grant DeShields has questioned whether the benefits of an expected $3 billion investment in Project Spero will outweigh potential environmental or economic issues.
The matter was expected to come back before the County Council Monday, but the meeting was cancelled due to icy weather.
