Details of the project, which will be funded through Gov. JB Pritzker's Rebuild Illinois infrastructure plan, were sketchy in the release.
The governor described the future center in the release as a "cutting-edge computing facility that will allow the state's infrastructure to continue modernizing and evolving."
Officials from the Capital Development Board and Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology were unavailable for comment after the late-afternoon announcement.
Also unavailable were state Sen. Doris Turner, D- Springfield, and Rep. Sue Scherer, D- Decatur.
All of them, though, were quoted in the release, which said Chicago-based Exp
U.S. Services Inc. was selected to oversee the project's design and construction.
Jennifer Ricker, acting secretary for the state innovation and technology department, said in the release, "As we plan for the future, a secure and modern data center is essential to accommodating rapidly evolving technology to meet the needs of state agencies."
Turner said the selection of a design firm is "very welcome news for state government and the workforce of Springfield."
Scherer said the facility "is going to be a project we can all reference when discussing worthwhile public investment."
The $45 billion Rebuild Illinois program was put in place with a package of bills passed by the General Assembly on a bipartisan basis and signed into law by Pritzker in 2019.
The program, about half of which is financed through borrowing, is being paid for through a doubling of the state's motor fuel tax, a tax increase on cigarettes, and expanded gambling that includes new casinos in Chicago and its suburbs and the introduction of legalized sports betting.
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