$70 million to $90 million expansion of the Bank of America data center in Platte County....

John Clune, president of Lenexa-based data technology company Cavern Technologies, said many regulations require banks to store data off site and to have redundant systems in place to protect crucial information. Data centers often are placed in Kansas City because the area has relatively cheap electricity costs compared with the rest of the nation, he said.

“It actually costs more to power the centers than the computers cost,” Clune said. “So power costs are a huge factor. Building the exact same facility in California compared to here would be almost double the cost.”

Kansas City is the second-most affordable city for data centers, behind San Antonio, according to a May study by The Boyd Co. Inc., a consulting firm based in Princeton, N.J.

Read Full Story