Data Center Census Near me

Polaris Forge 1

Ellendale, Dickey County, NDDeveloper: Applied Digital

Also known as Applied Digital Ellendale campus

OperatingBuilding 1 (100 MW) fully energized Nov 2025; Phase 1 of Building 2 (75 MW) delivered June 30, 2026, per Applied Digital
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

Applied Digital's AI data center campus in Ellendale, North Dakota, with 400 MW of critical IT load fully leased to CoreWeave under 15-year agreements, on a site that began in 2023 as a cryptocurrency hosting facility. The first 100 MW building was fully ready for service in November 2025; a 150 MW second building and 150 MW third building are slated for 2026 and 2027. Applied Digital says the campus could scale to 1 GW. Applied Digital says it delivered the first 75 MW phase of Building 2 on June 30, 2026, bringing live capacity to 175 MW, and that note proceeds will fund a fourth, 150 MW building.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacityDesigned to scale to 1 GW over time (company) [2]
a stated long-term potential; 400 MW of critical IT load is contracted and 175 MW was live as of June 30, 2026
IT load400 MW [1]
critical IT load, fully contracted to CoreWeave
Phase 1 capacity100 MW [1]
Building 1
Buildings3 [2]
100 MW, 150 MW and 150 MW buildings; in July 2026 Applied Digital said bond proceeds will fund a fourth, 150 MW building [11]
Target completionFull capacity mid-to-late 2027 [5]

Power

UtilityMontana-Dakota Utilities [4]
Utility pages: Montana-Dakota Utilities · data centers and bills
Grid operatorMISO [9]
stated for the Applied Digital Ellendale load when the PSC approved the MDU electric service agreement in 2023
Source excerpt
“The Applied Digital load will be purchased from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) market and will not impact Montana-Dakota customers' power supply.”
Power supplyGrid power, which the company and city describe as excess wind power [5]
Air permitND DEQ Air Pollution Control Permit to Construct ACP-18296 v1.0 (synthetic minor) for the ELN Generation Plant, 9663 87th Ave. SE, Ellendale; posted by DEQ as a draft [10]
application dated December 4, 2024, with June 28, 2025 modeling support
Source excerpt
“Permit Number: ACP-18296 v1.0 Permit Description: Synthetic Minor Source Name & Location: ELN Generation Plant 9663 87th Ave. SE Ellendale, ND 58436”

Water

Coolingclosed-loop recirculating water; company calls it waterless cooling [6]

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Water and power

Water

Not disclosed. No source reviewed gives a water figure for this site. The Census does not estimate one.

Power

Planned capacityDesigned to scale to 1 GW over time (company) [2]
IT load400 MW [1]
Phase 1 capacity100 MW [1]
UtilityMontana-Dakota Utilities [4]
Power supplyGrid power, which the company and city describe as excess wind power [5]

Disclosed figures only, each as the cited source states it. Many are projections or permit limits, not metered use. How data center water and power use is measured, and every disclosed figure →

Community concerns

Concerns are listed as the cited public sources report them (meeting minutes, dockets, filed cases, official statements and news). They are raised, not validated, and a response is shown beside a concern only where a source reports one. All community concerns →

Electricity rates

  • Concern was noted that data centers nearby may raise residential electricity bills.
    Raised by: news report · Mar 6, 2026 · Source: KFYR-TV
    Response from Applied Digital: The company's CEO said the utility must share revenue back to ratepayers, and the article reports bill rebates of about $70 per year. Mar 6, 2026 · Source: KFYR-TV

Electric bills and your utility →

Traffic and construction

  • A Dickey County commissioner described road stability and safety problems on county roads tied to construction traffic, and several roads were closed for repair.
    Raised by: elected official (Dickey County Commission) · Apr 21, 2026 · Source: KFGO
    Response from Applied Digital: Applied Digital said it is funding about six million dollars in road paving, with work on Highway 11 expected that summer. Jun 4, 2026 · Source: KSJB AM 600

Something missing or wrong? Ask for a review. Posts on social media are never used as sources.

Timeline

  1. Construction begins at the Ellendale campus [3]

  2. North Dakota Public Service Commission unanimously approves Montana-Dakota Utilities' electric service agreement to serve Applied Digital's data center near Ellendale [9]

  3. Applied Digital petitions to annex the data center into the city of Ellendale [7]

  4. Applied Digital signs 250 MW of 15-year leases with CoreWeave (~$7 billion) [3]

  5. CoreWeave signs additional 150 MW lease, bringing Polaris Forge 1 to 400 MW [2]

  6. Phase I of Building 1 reaches ready for service [1]

  7. Phase II ready for service; Building 1 fully energized at 100 MW [1]

  8. Dickey County closes several roads damaged by construction traffic [8]

  9. Applied Digital says it delivered Phase 1 of Building 2 (75 MW), bringing live capacity at the campus to 175 MW [11]

  10. Applied Digital says proceeds of a senior secured notes offering will fund construction of a fourth building (150 MW) at Polaris Forge 1 [11]

Issues raised

  • Construction traffic has damaged county roads, leading to closures; repairs funded jointly by state grant, city, county and Applied Digital [8]
  • Rents in Ellendale have roughly doubled and some lower-income families have moved, per South Dakota Searchlight [4]
  • Residents report an audible hum from the site's first (crypto) facility within about a mile [4]
  • Montana-Dakota Utilities customers have received rate credits tied to the data center load [4][5]

Issues are concerns and claims raised by the parties, officials or residents named in the cited sources. They are reported as attributed, not as findings by the Census.

Sources

  1. Applied Digital Completes Phase II Ready for Service at Polaris Forge 1, Fully Energizing First 100 MW Building
    Applied Digital · Nov 24, 2025 · company
  2. Applied Digital Finalizes Additional 150MW Lease with CoreWeave in North Dakota
    Applied Digital · Aug 29, 2025 · company
  3. Applied Digital signs 250MW agreement with CoreWeave for capacity at Ellendale campus, North Dakota
    DatacenterDynamics · Jun 2, 2025 · news
  4. North Dakota town serves as an example of the promise and perils of data centers for South Dakota
    South Dakota Searchlight · Jan 30, 2026 · news
  5. Ellendale acts as test case for data centers
    KFYR-TV · Mar 6, 2026 · news
  6. DCL: Applied Digital Answers Ellendale AI Data Center Questions on Roads and Water
    KSJB AM 600 · Jun 4, 2026 · news
  7. Data center requests annexation into Ellendale
    North Dakota Monitor · Dec 10, 2024 · news
  8. Vehicles tied to AI data center construction causing severe road damage in Dickey County
    KFGO · Apr 21, 2026 · news
  9. MDU Resources Subsidiary Receives Regulatory Approval to Serve Large Data Center Electric Load
    MDU Resources (PR Newswire) · Jun 6, 2023 · company
  10. Air Pollution Control Permit to Construct ACP-18296 v1.0 (draft)
    North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality · government
  11. Applied Digital Reports Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2026 Results
    Applied Digital · Jul 27, 2026 · company

Cite this page

Last updated Sep 23, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.

APAData Center Census. (2026). Polaris Forge 1. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/polaris-forge-1-ellendale-nd
MLA“Polaris Forge 1.” Data Center Census, Sep 23, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/polaris-forge-1-ellendale-nd.
Linkhttps://datacentercensus.com/dc/polaris-forge-1-ellendale-nd

Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.