Applied Digital Plans 280MW AI Data Center in North Dakota

Aug 18, 2025
Applied Digital is set to build a 280MW AI data center campus near Fargo, North Dakota, with construction starting in September 2025, according to Data Center Dynamics.

Applied Digital is planning to construct a new 280MW AI data center campus near Fargo, North Dakota. According to Data Center Dynamics, the project, named Polaris Forge 2, will be located near Harwood in Cass County and is expected to break ground in September 2025. The $3 billion facility will initially include two buildings and aims to reach full capacity by early 2027.

The site will utilize Applied Digital's Polaris Forge liquid-cooled design and has secured power through Cass County Electric Cooperative. The company is in advanced negotiations with a US-based investment-grade hyperscaler for the campus. This new development follows the company's existing operations at Polaris Forge 1 in Ellendale, North Dakota, which supports AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads.

Applied Digital's expansion into Harwood is part of its strategy to meet the growing demand for AI infrastructure. The company also operates a 106MW facility in Jamestown, North Dakota, and is planning a 200MW facility in Iowa.

We hope you enjoyed this article

Consider subscribing to one of our newsletters like Silicon Brief or Daily AI Brief.

Also, consider following us on social media:

AI Chips & Datacenters AI Brief AI Brief (X)
Free newsletter

Silicon Brief

Weekly coverage of AI hardware developments including chips, GPUs, cloud platforms, and data center technology.

AI Token Webinar

Industry analysis

2025 Global Business Services Agenda: Gen AI Takes Center Stage

The Hackett Group

This industry analysis by The Hackett Group explores the transformative impact of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) on global business services (GBS) in 2025. The study highlights the shift from exploration to acceleration of Gen AI initiatives, with 89% of executives advancing these projects to improve customer satisfaction, innovate products, and reduce costs. The report also discusses the challenges and strategies for successful Gen AI adoption, emphasizing the need for a technology-enabled operating model and the importance of reskilling the workforce.

Read more

You may also like

Free, six days a week

Daily AI Brief: the AI news that matters, in your inbox.