NEW CARLISLE, Ind. — Amazon Web Services’ northern Indiana buildout is moving from groundbreaking into a jobs and training pipeline that local colleges and economic groups say is already placing residents into permanent data-center roles.
Neighbors still press questions about water, wetlands, and infrastructure. The hiring numbers are concrete.
Key facts
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| New Carlisle campus | ~$11 billion |
| Operations hires (early June) | nearly 1,000 (~80% local) |
| Work-Based Learning grads | 58 (May 3) |
| Project Rise | $7 billion / ~250 permanent jobs |
| Wheatfield water | $25 million |
At the New Carlisle campus in St. Joseph County, AWS reported nearly 1,000 data-center operations hires by early June, with about 80% from the surrounding community, per Inside INdiana Business and WSBT. The Northwest Indiana Forum put the St. Joseph County operations headcount at about 900 as of mid-June.
Classroom to campus
Those permanent roles sit on a training track Amazon and Ivy Tech Community College have been building for more than a year. On May 3, AWS graduated 58 local residents from its first Work-Based Learning Program at the New Carlisle Campus Administration Building, the South Bend Tribune and WSBT reported. Officials said many trainees had little or no prior tech background.
Sergio Loureiro, AWS vice president of global data center operations, told WSBT the campus shows “real people from this community with real careers at the center of Indiana’s economic growth.”
Ivy Tech’s South Bend/Elkhart campus is the main public pipeline. Chancellor Patrick Englert told WSBT in 2025 that the college had already run fiber-splicing classes, an infrastructure workshop, and a pre-apprenticeship, with fall programs in data-center technology and a “Core 16” track on resumes and Amazon principles. Englert said students should leave “prepared to work at any data center.”
For outsiders, the door remains Ivy Tech pathways, HireIvy postings, and periodic AWS hiring events. Regional reporting has put average wages above $30 an hour.
Project Rise extends south
In mid-June, Jasper County commissioners unanimously approved Project Rise, a planned $7 billion AWS campus on about 304 acres owned by NIPSCO near the R.M. Schahfer Generating Station in Wheatfield. Forum and county materials peg about 250 permanent jobs plus thousands of construction roles.
AWS is to provide $98 million upfront and more than $23 million in annual revenue for 10 years of full operation. Officials estimate more than $1 billion in tax-related revenue over 15 years. Amazon also committed $25 million to expand domestic water service in Wheatfield Township. Commissioner President Rein Bontreger called that “transformative” for bringing municipal service to Wheatfield for the first time.
Across 2024–2025, Amazon committed about $26 billion to Indiana data centers and about 2,100 new jobs statewide, the Forum said.
Jobs first — and the pushback
Supporters emphasize permanent technical careers and infrastructure upgrades. Critics — including residents who fought farmland rezoning near New Carlisle and Just Transition Northwest Indiana — argue data centers replace productive farmland, intensify traffic, and stress power and water systems.
An August IndyStar investigation documented dry-well and aquifer concerns around New Carlisle. Amazon told IndyStar it plans about 18 million gallons of water a year there — roughly 162 households, the company said — and pointed to replenishment projects it says will return more water to the Kankakee Aquifer than the campus withdraws. Wheatfield materials say the campus will rely mainly on air cooling.
At a July IDEM hearing, advocates urged denial of an AWS request to permanently impact nearly 5 acres of wetlands and thousands of feet of streams at New Carlisle, citing a 2025 notice of noncompliance. Amazon has proposed mitigation; Just Transition’s Ashley Williams argued the agency should not “reward unauthorized wetland destruction with a permit.” No firm public construction start date for Wheatfield has been announced.
Near term: nearly 1,000 operations roles at New Carlisle, a first training cohort graduated, Ivy Tech pathways still enrolling, and about 250 more permanent positions queued for Jasper if Project Rise builds out. Region N3 will update on hiring and permit milestones.