ABB has announced it will provide its medium voltage power infrastructure for Applied Digital’s new 300 megawatt Polaris Forge 2 campus near Harwood, North Dakota. This marks the second major collaboration between ABB and Applied Digital, a company focused on high-performance data centers for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. ABB states that the order for the new campus’s power architecture was booked in the fourth quarter of 2025.
ABB reports the Polaris Forge 2 campus will comprise two 150 megawatt buildings set to come online in 2026 and 2027, with additional expansion planned. The electrical infrastructure, including both low and medium voltage systems, is designed to support large-scale, AI-ready deployments and to enable high efficiency with a projected industry-leading low Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE).
The new campus will use ABB’s HiPerGuard medium voltage uninterruptible power supply (UPS) technology and advanced medium voltage switchgear. ABB notes that adopting medium voltage architecture with HiPerGuard helps increase power density, energy efficiency, and reliability for data centers, and supports scaling sites in 25 megawatt increments while reducing cabling requirements.
Applied Digital is leasing the initial 200 megawatts of Polaris Forge 2’s capacity to a US-based hyperscale operator. ABB and Applied Digital began this technical collaboration in June 2025 with the 400 megawatt Polaris Forge 1 campus at Ellendale, North Dakota, which also uses the HiPerGuard solution.
“Our partnership with ABB reflects Applied Digital’s commitment to redefining what is possible in data center scale and performance,” said Todd Gale, Chief Development Officer, Applied Digital. “Polaris Forge 2 represents the next evolution of our AI factory model – beginning with two 150-megawatt buildings with the ability to scale – solidifying our position as a leader in delivering high-performance, energy-efficient AI infrastructure.”
“As AI reshapes data centers, ABB is working with leading digital infrastructure innovators to introduce a new generation of advanced power system solutions,” said Massimiliano Cifalitti, ABB Smart Power President. “The medium voltage architecture developed with Applied Digital is a big step forward for large-scale AI facilities. Working together closely from the start enabled both teams to identify opportunities to drive higher efficiency, performance and reliability, along with lower costs and faster time to market.”
Source: ABB
