HydraVault to Build AI-Optimized Data Center in Chicago

HydraVault has announced the construction of Chicago's first purpose-built data center designed specifically for artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and financial trading applications. Announced in a press release, the facility will begin construction in Fall 2025 and is strategically located downtown to provide sub-millisecond latency to key financial trading networks.

The data center will feature a power capacity of 20MW and is engineered to deliver up to 200kW per rack, significantly higher than the average 15-20kW per rack. It will incorporate advanced liquid cooling systems, which are approximately 40% more energy-efficient than traditional air cooling, and boast a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.19. This design aims to maximize both performance and sustainability.

The facility will meet Tier 3 specifications, ensuring high uptime and reliability, and will be built with SOC 1 and SOC 2 compliance specifications, making it PCI ready. Access for user buildout is anticipated in late 2026, catering to the growing demand for high-performance compute infrastructure in the region.