Data Center Census Near me

QTS Cedar Rapids Data Center Campus

Cedar Rapids, Linn County, IADeveloper: QTS Data Centers

Also known as QTS Big Cedar

Under constructionFirst three buildings topped out Oct 2025; Phase 1 expected complete 2026, Phase 2 2027
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

QTS is building a campus of up to seven data center buildings on 612 acres in the Big Cedar Industrial Center at 6200 76th Ave SW in southwest Cedar Rapids. QTS describes a $10 billion investment, and The Gazette reports about 1,050 MW of power from Alliant Energy. The city approved a development agreement with property tax and franchise fee rebates in January 2025 and amended it in December 2025; the first three buildings topped out in October 2025.

Site size
612 acres[1]

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity1.05 GW [3]
approximate power from Alliant Energy, per The Gazette
Site size612 acres [1]
Buildings7 [1]
up to seven
Stated investment$10 billion [1]
company-stated campus investment; city agreement minimum $750M, anticipated $1.75B
Permanent jobs (promised)30 [5]
minimum 15 per phase for first two phases under city agreement; The Gazette reports 100+ full-time positions
Construction jobs1,200 [4]
minimum under amended agreement (previously 500)
Target completionPhase 1 late 2026; Phase 2 late 2027 [4]

How big is that? Data center sizes compared with football fields and Central Park.

Power

UtilityAlliant Energy [5]
Utility pages: Alliant Energy · data centers and bills
On-site generation typeTemporary modular, self-contained generator units for construction and commissioning, expected to operate less than six months [9]
Source excerpt
“The plant, consisting of 'modular, self-contained generator units,' will be placed on QTS-owned property near the Eastern Iowa Airport.”

Water

Coolingclosed-loop, water-free cooling [1]

Money & incentives

Tax incentives20-year, 70% property tax rebate per phase (up to ~$1B rebated per amended agreement) plus 20-year, 75% electric franchise fee rebate; QTS pays up to $300,000/yr per phase to community betterment fund [4]
Tax abatement value$529 million [8]
Source excerpt
“According to the proposed agreement, the city 'conservatively estimates that $1 billion in total property taxes could be generated,' and an estimated $529 million would be rebated back to the company.”
Abatement term20 years [8]
Source excerpt
“That money would be rebated to the company by the city over 20 annual payments.”
Payments / community benefitsCommunity betterment payments of $300,000 annually for the initial phase and each additional phase, not to exceed $18 million (original proposed agreement) [8]
Source excerpt
“Those payments would be $300,000 annually for the initial phase and $300,000 annually for each additional phase, not to exceed $18 million.”

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 capacity1.05 GW [3]
UtilityAlliant Energy [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 →

Timeline

  1. Cedar Rapids City Council approves development agreement with QTS [5]

  2. City, Alliant Energy and QTS announce campus [5]

  3. Ground broken (The Gazette; CBJ reports first building groundbreaking in August 2025) [3]

  4. First three buildings topped out [6]

  5. City Council unanimously approves amended agreement raising anticipated investment to $1.75B [4]

  6. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright tours campus [3]

Issues raised

  • Linn County road use agreement required QTS back payments of $117,000+ and future road improvement funding [6]

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. Cedar Rapids - QTS Data Centers
    QTS · company
  2. QTS tops out data center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    DatacenterDynamics · Oct 24, 2025 · news
  3. U.S. Energy Secretary tours Cedar Rapids QTS data center campus
    The Gazette · Apr 24, 2026 · news
  4. Scope of QTS data project in Cedar Rapids continuing to grow
    Corridor Business Journal · Dec 2, 2025 · news
  5. City of Cedar Rapids, Alliant Energy, and QTS Collaborate on New Data Center Campus in Cedar Rapids
    City of Cedar Rapids · Feb 12, 2025 · government
  6. CBJ Newsmakers: First QTS data center buildings near completion
    Corridor Business Journal · Dec 23, 2025 · news
  7. Cedar Rapids council approves development agreement for QTS data center project
    Corridor Business Journal · Jan 30, 2025 · news
  8. Government Notes: Under development agreement, Cedar Rapids would rebate $529 million to data center
    The Gazette · Jan 27, 2025 · news
  9. QTS planning temporary power plant for Cedar Rapids data center
    Corridor Business Journal · May 29, 2026 · news

Cite this page

Last updated Nov 5, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.

APAData Center Census. (2026). QTS Cedar Rapids Data Center Campus. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/qts-cedar-rapids-ia
MLA“QTS Cedar Rapids Data Center Campus.” Data Center Census, Nov 5, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/qts-cedar-rapids-ia.
Linkhttps://datacentercensus.com/dc/qts-cedar-rapids-ia

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.