UCB to build USD2B AI-powered biologics plant in Georgia’s Rowen District

USA—Belgian biopharmaceutical company UCB plans to build a USD2 billion biologics plant near Atlanta, Georgia, which will be its first manufacturing facility in the U.S.

Officials from Gwinnett County approved the application on Tuesday, marking the largest single corporate investment in the county’s history.

The 460,000-square-foot factory will sit on a 79-acre plot within the Rowen innovation district, near Dacula, Georgia, approximately 35 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.

UCB projects the facility will generate a $5 billion financial impact and create 330 permanent jobs.

The plant, equivalent in size to eight football fields, will run around the clock using AI, robotics, and automation to produce biologics.

UCB also confirmed that the site will serve as the hub for all its U.S. manufacturing operations.

Why Georgia?

UCB evaluated up to 15 U.S. sites before choosing this location, drawn by its scalability within a master-planned innovation district and its proximity to major research universities.

These universities, including Emory University, Georgia Tech, and the University of Georgia, are a dynamic similar to North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, which the Rowen district is modeled after.

“The real factors are about talent, location, quality of life, and the innovation ecosystem,” said Taco van Tiel, UCB’s U.S. chief.

“We’re also very excited to be part of this emerging, growing life sciences sector in Georgia. To be one of the first ones in and really build it out is a great opportunity.”

Van Tiel added that building the facility will allow UCB to own a critical part of its supply chain.

“To add manufacturing really builds out this full value chain,” he said.

“For your major growth drivers, you want to own that manufacturing piece as much as possible yourself. Over time, you start to reach economies of scale.”

A Company on the rise

UCB reported a 26% revenue increase last year, reaching 7.74 billion euros (USD 8.7 billion).

Its global workforce has grown by 68% since 2017, with R&D roles rising by 121%.

The company employs nearly 2,000 people in the U.S. and more than 9,000 worldwide. Its existing major facilities are in Belgium, Switzerland, and Japan.

Part of a broader U.S. manufacturing wave

UCB joins a growing list of biopharma companies committing to U.S. manufacturing since President Donald Trump began pushing to reshore production.

Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on foreign-made pharmaceuticals has prompted major investment pledges from companies including Johnson & Johnson, Roche, Eli Lilly, and Novartis.