Upper Burrell data center to be company's 'U.S. flagship,' founder says

A new data center in Upper Burrell could hold 3 gigawatts of power — about three times more than the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant can generate — and employ hundreds if plans come to fruition at the vacant portion of the Alcoa Technical Center.

TECfusions, a Florida-based data center owner and operator, closed on the 100 Technical Drive property on Dec. 2.

When completed, the facility off Route 780 and White Cloud Road has the potential to store data from hundreds of companies or the entire dataset of a company as big as Meta, the parent company of Facebook.

“This is going to be our U.S. flagship,” TECfusions founder Simon Tusha said of the Upper Burrell site.

Completion of the 3-gigawatt potential depends on permits being approved from local, state and federal authorities.

The site will use electricity from West Penn Power, but it plans to install natural gas turbines on-site to generate power for its data center. There is backup power on site in the event of a temporary outage.

If the site reaches 3 gigawatts, there could be thousands of employees on site, Tusha said.

What is a data center?

A data center is a facility that houses computing equipment, such as servers, storage systems and networking devices, for companies and organizations.

“Everything you do — every text message, credit card transaction, internet search — goes to a data center,” Tusha said. “If you watch Netflix or buy something on Amazon, … the only reason it’s possible is because of a data center.”

Melissa Farney, TECfusions spokeswoman, described a data center as “digital real estate.”

“It’s like renting an apartment,” she said. “They’re renting space and power.”

The Upper Burrell property TECfusions will use is about 500,000 square feet, and the total property acquired is just shy of 1,400 acres, Farney said.

Two years ago, Arconic announced it was preparing to sell four of seven buildings at the technical center site that it shares with Alcoa. The property was once the primary research center for Alcoa. Arconic is a spin-off of Alcoa.

“We’re very excited their coming to the area,” said state Rep. Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville. “It’s wonderful they’re reusing the facility.”

About the facility

TECfusions will have a presence at all buildings, including ones occupied by Arconic.

In addition to Upper Burrell, TECfusions operates data centers in Virginia and Arizona.

Reusing industrial property is part of TECfusions’ strategy. Officials say the strategy of using existing buildings minimizes environmental impact. Its site in Clarksville, Va., is a former Russell Stover candy factory.

“What the industry is going to need can’t be built from the ground up,” Farney said. “You have to take over what you can, and know what you’re doing, to build a facility that can house it.”

TECfusions and Arconic officials declined to disclose the purchase price.

But Tusha said the company already has invested more than $150 million into prepping Building J at the site, and repurposing buildings C and D for its operations.

“I’m excited about the opportunity and looking forward to working with them, and trying to connect them to local businesses here,” Cooper said. “I’m pleased to say our region has quality workers. When you look at the type of work they need, our people are well-suited for that type of business.”

Tusha looks at Building J, estimated at about 30,000 square feet, to move a tenant in early next year. He declined to name any tenants at its other facilities but did say “they’re all companies you would know.”

“Tenants come to us organically,” Tusha said. “I’ve been in the industry since 1994; we’ve been joining those old relationships.”

Building C, which was Alcoa’s chemical testing building, will be repurposed. Tusha envisions natural gas turbines outside the building and outdoor generators inside the data center.

The company was awarded $2 million in state grant funding for the Keystone Connect Data Center multiphase project. Farney said the first phase of the project will start next year, and the final phase of construction will be complete in about six years.

The first phase includes equipment, emergency power generation, UPS systems, electric switch gear, transformers, breakers, cabling and building materials.

That construction could tap into local workers for contracted work.

“He has a vision, and it’s exciting for us to be a part of it,” Cooper said.

Tusha’s past

Tusha has a colorful past. In May 2016, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with unpaid income taxes. In January 2019, he was ordered to serve 21 months in federal prison and then three years of supervised release. His sentencing was delayed, it appears from court documents, because he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and malignant melanoma.

Once Tusha was incarcerated, he wasn’t receiving appropriate treatment for his continuing cancer diagnoses. On Dec. 11, 2019, he filed a motion seeking to modify his sentence. He was ultimately released to serve his supervised release on Nov. 9, 2020. He also paid restitution of $962,100.

“After many successful years building data center infrastructure, starting in 2015, every tragedy you can imagine impacted my family — from divorce to bankruptcy to cancer to the death of my son, culminating in IRS issues,” Tusha said. “Each of these came as a separate shock and made recovery much more challenging.

“I took full responsibility for my situation and met all of my obligations, which led to the reinstatement of all federal clearances and state real estate licenses.

“However, I came out of my final surgery in 2023 with new clarity on the path ahead and a reinvigorated drive to channel my energy into building data centers that truly put the environment and community at the forefront of our strategy.”

Said Farney: “After restitution was made, Simon was ready to relaunch his career. He would say it’s what inspires him every day to do more for the community and be as involved as he can.”

Cooper said she is confident in Tusha’s plans at the facility. She noted that he has been upfront about his history and still has connections with his peers in the industry.

“I do feel that he does bring a lot of knowledge from the industry,” she said. “Everyone goes through turbulent times, and I think he’s come out on the other side.

“He wants to make our community better.”

Economic boon?

The TEC in TECfusions stands for technology, environment and community, Tusha said.

“We try to give back to the community as much as we can, to let the community feel they’re a part of it,” he said.

His goal is to make the Upper Burrell site the largest data center campus in the country. Three gigawatts of power “is more than all of Western Pennsylvania” uses, he said.

While still maintaining the existing buildings, Tusha does anticipate lots of construction to come.

“For us to take this site to 3 gigawatts, that’s a 20-year plan,” he said.

With that much storage, Tusha said, security is of the utmost importance.

“We make sure we meet or exceed all the federal requirements,” he said. “We also meet (European Union) standards. We have contracted with various companies around the world.”

Tusha said it’s important for the company to positively impact the community and predicts the business will foster business growth. Local officials said previously they’re excited for the economic boon the facility could provide to the area.

“We’re pretty excited. Our goal is that we can use this as a technology hub,” Tusha said. “Right now, no one knows where Upper Burrell is. Our goal is the TECfusions site here helps lease up hotels and restaurants in the area.”