Scenic City’s New Jailhouse Studios: The World’s First Quantum-Ready Sovereign Data, Processing, and AI Center with an Integrated Creator Campus
Internationally recognized creators, including A-List Celebrities from Chattanooga and Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins would join Optic8 and STEM — an Oracle partner — in establishing a nexus for cutting-edge technology and creative production
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (January 9, 2026) – Years of exploration and collaboration among real estate, technology, and entertainment industry leaders have led to the official creation of Jailhouse Studios, an entity that will call Hamilton County’s former downtown jail home to the world’s first quantum-ready sovereign data, processing, and AI center and creator campus.
Positioned at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and creative production, Jailhouse Studios is designed to serve the next generation of film, music, and digital media — combining secure data infrastructure, AI-enabled workflows, and world-class production facilities under one roof.
Among a lengthy list of world-renowned, critically acclaimed artists, producers, and national and international technology leaders, Chattanooga visionaries Jimmy White and Kessler Cuffman are spearheading the initiative, positioning the Scenic City as a national hub for technology-enabled creative production while creating long-term economic and educational opportunities for the region
White, president and managing partner of Southeast commercial real estate developer Urban Story Ventures, will redevelop the former downtown jail into an epicenter for music, film, production, and education. Originally the Wells Bijou Theatre, the site was later converted into a jail that served the community for decades. Today, its structure and design potential make it uniquely suited for secure data, processing, AI, and creative production under one roof, according to White, who is known for reimagining older properties for their highest and best use.
“The idea of Jailhouse Studios came as a solution to a need we’ve been trying to meet for years,” said Cuffman, Executive Officer for the Songbirds Foundation. “While this facility will be positioned for production work at the highest level, the original vision was born out of workforce development and job creation for students local to Chattanooga. This will be a vessel for production excellence and a source of real, lasting impact for our community.”
As a stepping stone to a larger mixed-use development known as The Bend, Jailhouse Studios will renovate the former jail to include secure data and AI infrastructure, film and recording studios, LED volumes, an amphitheater, cafeteria, artist lofts, and classroom space — bringing hundreds of jobs to Chattanooga while creating new educational and professional pathways for students.
To support the advanced technical requirements of the campus, Urban Story Ventures is working with Golden Acquisitions and The STEM Practice Company “STEM,” an Oracle partner specializing in sovereign, quantum-ready data storage, processing, and AI infrastructure, regarding the deployment of advanced technology capabilities in Chattanooga.
Through STEM’s collaboration with Centroid and Oracle, the project will become one of the first in the region to integrate all three of EPB’s major services: quantum-ready security and communications, the world’s fastest community-wide internet, and electric power delivered through one of the nation’s most advanced automated grids.
The Chattanooga data centers are architected specifically for the entertainment industry, delivering studio-grade security, privacy-first AI governance, and high-performance computing to support workflows such as real-time rendering, AI-assisted production, model training, and intellectual property protection. Each studio, production, or project operates within a fully segregated and secure environment, ensuring creative assets, talent data, and unreleased content remain private and encrypted. Customer content is not used to train shared or public AI models.
The data centers are environmentally friendly by design, leveraging a distributed architecture and advanced CPU-optimized AI software to dramatically reduce energy use, heat generation, and resource consumption. By spreading compute across many smaller sites, each facility operates at just 1–5% of the power required by a traditional large-scale data center while delivering comparable computing capability. Rather than relying solely on power-hungry, high-temperature GPUs, they use specialized optimization software and in-database machine learning to enable high-performance AI workloads. This approach reduces energy consumption by 75–90%, produces far less heat, and eliminates the need for water-intensive cooling systems. The result is a significantly lower carbon footprint, reduced strain on the electric grid, and a more sustainable, scalable model for AI and data center operations that aligns with long-term environmental and infrastructure goals.
White has been working closely with Dan Kretz, president of Optic8 and Trilogy Studios, for the studio and production spaces at both the jail and The Bend. Kretz and his team design and build virtual content environments for film, television, and commercial production markets around the world.
“Chattanooga stands as a rare unicorn in the production landscape, ideally located between Atlanta and Nashville — two of the nation’s most influential creative hubs,” said Kretz. “Leveraging the groundbreaking capabilities of EPB and technologies deployed through STEM, these will become the world’s first quantum-ready studios. We are thrilled to collaborate with this forward-thinking city to help shape the next era of technology-enabled creative production.”
The team supporting Jailhouse Studios includes internationally recognized talent with deep ties to Chattanooga, including A-List celebrities, Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, Khari ‘Needlz’ Cain, Dan Kretz, Adam Dukes, Don Mandrik, Bryce McGuire, and Isaiah Smallman. Collectively, they have worked on major films, music videos, and projects for labels such as Warner Music, Sony Music, and Universal Music Group. One of the most recent major productions is DOLLY, the first feature-length film fully shot in Chattanooga, and it went on to receive major distribution. White says future feature films and other major projects are already eyeing Jailhouse Studios for immediate production.
Urban Story Ventures will lead the renovation alongside architects, designers, engineers, and contractors. The project will move forward with a technology anchor utilizing Oracle-based infrastructure. STEM would serve as the Oracle partner, working closely with EPB to outfit the building for the first quantum-ready sovereign data, processing, and AI facility of its kind.
“There’s nothing like it,” said White. “Chattanooga will be in the global spotlight for technology and entertainment like never before. This initiative is bigger than any single company. It’s about creating infrastructure that allows creators, technologists, and students to build their futures right here at home.”
About Urban Story Ventures
Urban Story Ventures is a Southeast commercial real estate development group based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Led by Jimmy White, the company’s portfolio focuses on mixed-use, office, industrial, and retail sites, reimagined for their highest and best use. Projects include iconic and historical landmark buildings as well as 100+ acre redevelopments like the Bend. Full-service capabilities include property management, leasing, and maintenance. For more information, visit UrbanStoryVentures.com.
About The STEM Practice Company
The STEM Practice Company “STEM” is a sovereign AI and advanced infrastructure company specializing in the deployment of secure, quantum-ready data storage, processing, and AI platforms using Oracle technologies. STEM is an institutional portfolio company of Centroid.
For more information, visit stempractice.ai.
About Centroid
Centroid is widely recognized as one of the most successful and largest Oracle partners in North America, with decades of experience deploying and managing mission-critical workloads running on OCI, other hyperscalers, and data-platforms. The company specializes in helping organizations modernize, transform, and grow by delivering expert consulting, cloud migration, managed services, and AI-driven technology solutions across major cloud platforms and enterprise workloads.
For more information, visit centroid.com.
About Optic8
Optic8 is a global leader in virtual production consulting, system integration, and strategic planning at the forefront of media, entertainment, and experiential concepts. The company specializes in the planning, engineering, and deployment of advanced virtual production environments, immersive experiences, and large-scale attractions worldwide.
By combining deep technical expertise with a forward-looking approach, Optic8 enables studios, brands, and venue operators to adopt emerging technologies with confidence and scalability. Beyond consulting and integration, Optic8 actively engages in strategic partnerships that embrace innovative technologies and experiences, helping to shape the future of immersive media and location-based entertainment.
With a focus on long-term value creation and industry advancement, Optic8 continues to define what is possible at the intersection of technology and storytelling.
To reach Optic8, please visit Optic8.com or email [email protected].
About the Songbirds Foundation
Songbirds is a creative education powerhouse equipping the next generation of artists, creators, and innovators with the skills to thrive in today’s creative economy. Born from the merger of Songbirds and Dynamo Studios, we bring together classrooms, studios, and stages to form an integrated pathway for learning, mentorship, and professional growth.
Their multi platform model ranges from in-school programs to studio labs to live performance venues, paired with industry mentorship and hands-on learning. By linking education directly to real world experiences, they help students develop not only technical and artistic skills, but also the confidence, leadership, and collaboration needed to succeed.
By preparing students for careers in media, production, entrepreneurship, and performance, they contribute to workforce development and expand economic mobility across the Southeast. They are proud to call Chattanooga our home base, a city where the creative economy is growing and new voices are finding their place.
