Days after the Tuscaloosa Thread reported that Applied Digital Corporation has received a state permit to build a two-million-square-foot data center in Brookwood, Mayor Joe Barger has weighed in publicly for the first time. "As a resident of this community myself, I care deeply about Hurricane Creek and the long-term well-being of Brookwood," Barger wrote. ALR10C8B4, identifies the applicant as APLD BHM-01 LLC, with Applied Digital president and co-founder Jason Zhang as the responsible official. It was the first public confirmation that Applied Digital, a Dallas-based developer of artificial-intelligence data centers, is behind the project. "Applied Digital continually evaluates potential sites in many locations," Phillips said.