Applied Digital has announced it will break ground in September 2025 on Polaris Forge 2, a 280-megawatt data center campus near Harwood, North Dakota. The company says the facility, labeled an “AI Factory,” is designed for initial operations in 2026, with full capacity targeted for early 2027. The site is engineered to scale beyond 280 megawatts to address increasing demand for compute workloads, particularly from hyperscale and enterprise AI applications.
According to Applied Digital, Polaris Forge 2 follows the company’s previous development at the Polaris Forge 1 campus in Ellendale, expanding its presence in an area with plentiful energy and land resources. The new project initially includes two buildings, with capacity for future expansion. For this 900-acre site, Applied Digital has secured power agreements through Cass County Electric Cooperative.
The company reports it is in advanced negotiations with a US-based investment-grade hyperscale operator for the new campus. Once fully operational, the campus is expected to employ more than 200 full-time staff as well as long-term contractors.
Regarding technical and operational readiness, Applied Digital highlights its rapid deployment capabilities, proprietary waterless cooling, and experience in hyperscale infrastructure as core design attributes. The company states these factors will enable it to deliver secure, high-performance compute infrastructure at scale.
On the power supply side, Paul Matthys, President and CEO at Cass County Electric Cooperative, stated, “We are excited to have the opportunity to provide Applied Digital with the power they need to drive innovation and technology in a way that benefits our communities and legacy members,” adding, “As we work through the final stages of an agreement, we will continue to keep our cooperative values at heart while preparing to meet the needs of future generations.”
The project also includes electrical support from Minnkota Power Cooperative, as noted by Mac McLennan, President and CEO: “We’re proud to work with Applied Digital to help bring a state-of-the-art data center to our region. This project represents an important opportunity to drive technological progress and create lasting benefits for our cooperative membership.”
Polaris Forge 2 is presented as part of Applied Digital’s strategy to support AI, cloud, and compute-intensive workflows for hyperscale clients, data center operators, and technology vendors.
Source: Applied Digital
