Aterio, a Data-as-a-Service provider that tracks US infrastructure development, has reported renewed construction activity at all three of Microsoft’s permitted data center campuses in Catawba County, North Carolina. Aterio says its satellite monitoring in January and February 2026 detected simultaneous re-mobilization at the Lyle Creek, Boyd Farm, and Stover North sites after “little to no activity since approximately Q2 2025.” For data center developers, utilities, and supply chain teams, the key signal is the timing and coordination: Aterio characterizes the change as a program-level restart across three campuses, not isolated site work.
Aterio links the renewed activity to a broader slowdown Microsoft referenced in April 2025, when it “signaled it was slowing or pausing certain data center builds.” Aterio says its satellite tracking of the Catawba County projects aligned with that slowdown, and that the new, concurrent re-mobilization across all three sites suggests a coordinated restart.
On planned scale, Aterio cites US Army Corps of Engineers public notices indicating each campus is planned for five 48 MW data center buildings, supported by dedicated Duke Energy substation infrastructure. Aterio reports Lyle Creek is served by two substations, while Boyd Farm and Stover North each have one substation.
Aterio also estimates a higher “nameplate” range based on its analysis of comparable Microsoft hyperscale deployments, including buildings using the same approximately 250,000 sq ft “Ballard” design configuration. Aterio says each building is “typically supported by approximately 20 backup generators,” and estimates “roughly 54 MW of total nameplate capacity per building when accounting for redundancy, cooling, and electrical overhead.” Based on those assumptions, Aterio frames the three-campus program as roughly 720 MW in a “low case” (15 buildings × 48 MW) up to about 810 MW in a “high case” (15 buildings × ~54 MW).
At the site level, Aterio reports renewed movement on concrete slabs at Lyle Creek after about seven months of inactivity. At Boyd Farm, Aterio says it observed substation-level progress and active land grading in the southern portion of the campus. At Stover North, Aterio notes “significant substation advancement” with more limited activity on concrete building pads.
For schedule, Aterio estimates first building activations are unlikely before Q3 2027, with a more likely initial online window of late Q4 2027 to Q1 2028, followed by phased rollout across the remaining 12 buildings. Aterio adds that local economic development disclosures describe a phased, multi-year program with a minimum $1 billion commitment over 10 years and a structure that allows completion through 2032.
Source: Aterio
