Google's Project Helium Brings Data Center Jobs to Kansas County

Barber County in Kansas is set to become home to Google's first data center in the state. The project, dubbed 'Project Helium', will be built near Sharon, approximately eight miles east of Medicine Lodge. According to plans, the 1.7 million square foot facility will be air-cooled and create over 500 jobs once operational.

The construction process is expected to generate thousands of temporary positions. Google estimates that the data center will produce nearly $10 million in annual property taxes for the county alone. However, it's worth noting that Kansas offers up to 20 years of tax exemption for large-scale data centers.