North Dakota Data Center Intel

Recent North Dakota data center news

• Mar 9, 2026

  Babcock & Wilcox Will Deliver 1.2 GW of Gas-Fired Capacity for Applied Digital Data Centers

  Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) has received notice to proceed on a $2.4-billion design-build agreement with Base Electron to supply 1.2 GW of natural gas-fired capacity supporting Applied Digital’s AI data center campuses.

  • Main announcement: B&W will engineer, procure, and build four 300-MW natural gas-fired boiler and steam turbine generator systems (total 1.2 GW) supplied by Siemens Energy under a $2.4-billion design-build agreement with Base Electron to supply power for Applied Digital’s AI factory campuses; work already is underway.
  • Background and details: Applied Digital’s Delta Forge 1 (southern U.S.) is designed for initial 430 MW utility power (up to 300 MW critical IT load), with operations expected mid-2027; Applied Digital also has the Polaris program (a $3-billion, 700-MW complex expected online later this year) and is evaluating an option with Base Electron for an additional 1.2 GW of generation capacity.
• Feb 25, 2026

  Xcel–Google Pact Brings 1.9 GW of Clean Power, Iron-Air Battery to Minnesota

  Xcel Energy has announced a partnership with Google to supply power to Google’s Pine Island data center and add 1,900 MW of new clean energy to the grid.

  • Main announcement: Xcel Energy and Google will add 1,900 MW of new clean energy (supported by a Clean Energy Accelerator Charge (CEAC)) comprising 1,400 MW wind, 200 MW solar, and 300 MW long-duration energy storage, and Google will cover all new grid infrastructure costs; the Electric Service Agreement will be filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in the coming weeks. The agreement also includes a $50 million investment in Xcel Energy’s Capacity*Connect Program to strengthen grid reliability.
  • Background and project details: The storage component includes a 300-MW (30-gigawatt-hour) iron-air battery from Form Energy (a 100-hour system, described as the largest battery project by GWh announced globally to date); Xcel reports its Minnesota mix is already 70% carbon-free and says residential bills remain below the national average. The agreement is presented as protecting existing customers from increased costs while enabling new large electricity loads.
• Feb 20, 2026

  Trump EPA to weaken rule limiting harmful mercury, air toxics from coal plants

  The Trump administration announced it will roll back air regulations for coal-fired power plants limiting mercury and other hazardous air toxics.

  • Main action: The EPA under President Trump is rescinding/weakening elements of the Biden-era Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) and rolling back related regulatory requirements, arguing easing standards will reduce costs for utilities and boost baseload energy to meet rising power demand (including from data centers). The administration previously issued an “energy emergency” proclamation and invited coal plants to request temporary exemptions; 68 plants received two-year exemptions under that process.
  • Background and concrete details: The Biden-era MATS update would have cut allowable mercury pollution by 70% and reduced emissions of nickel, arsenic, lead and other toxic metals by two-thirds, with estimated health cost savings of $420 million through 2037 (Environmental Defense Fund). The EPA has also repealed the “endangerment finding”, and the White House directed the Pentagon to purchase power from coal plants; coal plants produce less than 20% of U.S. electricity (EIA).
• Feb 20, 2026

  Urban vs. Rural: Why Data Centers Are Built Where They Are

  The article analyzes a shift in U.S. data center site selection toward greater geographic diversity, including more rural builds.

  • Main finding: The piece argues that as regions expand power capacity, extend long‑haul fiber, and streamline permitting and incentives, legacy hub advantages (e.g., Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, greater Chicago) are weakening and site selection is diversifying toward a wider set of geographies, including rural areas.
  • Supporting details: The analysis lists core site-selection factors — infrastructure, demand proximity, economics, governance, risk and resilience, and community/social license — and cites emerging growth markets and examples such as parts of Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Utah, while noting new urban hubs like Boston and Denver; it also references multi-decade grid requirements and decades of legacy investment in hubs.
• Feb 20, 2026

  Urban vs. Rural: Why Data Centers Are Built Where They Are

  This article analyzes shifting patterns in data center site selection in the United States and is an analytical overview rather than a new corporate or government announcement.

  • Main finding: Data center site selection is diversifying as power capacity expansion, long-haul fiber, streamlined permitting, and incentives reduce legacy clustering in hubs such as Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, and the greater Chicago area.
  • Drivers and trade-offs: The piece outlines six selection factors — Infrastructure, Demand Proximity, Economics, Governance, Risk and Resilience, and Community and Social License — and cites emerging markets in parts of Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Mississippi, alongside growing urban hubs like Boston and Denver.
• Feb 5, 2026

  What’s up with data centers in Minnesota?

  Fresh Energy calls on Minnesota regulators and the Public Utilities Commission to adopt policies ensuring data center development benefits Minnesotans and aligns with the state’s 100% clean electricity by 2040 law.

  • Main announcement / action: Fresh Energy urges the Commission to implement better load forecasting, rate design (large-load tariffs), and transparency on water and behind-the-meter generation to ensure data centers pay their fair share; Minnesota currently has 13 operating data centers with 43 MW of capacity and 12 planned projects totaling 1,120 MW (as of January 2026). Key regulatory actions already in motion include Xcel Energy’s large-load tariff filed July 2025 and the Commission requiring Dakota Electric to file an additional tariff in December 2025.

  • Background and details: Fresh Energy cites national context such as data center investment growth from $13.8 billion to $41.2 billion per year and nearly 100 GW of proposed behind-the-meter gas plants nationwide; it recommends using IRP updates, stochastic/scenario-based forecasting, and tariff rate classes so utilities do not overbuild infrastructure or shift costs to residential customers.

• Jan 27, 2026

  Applied Digital CEO Wes Cummins On the Hard Part of the AI Boom: Execution

  Applied Digital describes scaling from a single 100 MW facility to roughly 700 MW under construction and explains its strategy to lock supply chains and design flexible, AI-optimized infrastructure.

  • Main announcement/action: Applied Digital says it has ~700 MW under construction (up from a single 100 MW building), locked key MEP components 18–24 months ago, and is deploying a fourth-generation design with extensive off-site MEP assembly (“LEGO brick” skids) to accelerate schedules and reduce on-site labor risk.
  • Background and details: The company operates direct-to-chip liquid cooling at scale in Ellendale, North Dakota with multi-layer redundancy (pumps, chillers, dual loops, thermal storage); aligns designs to the Nvidia roadmap (415V → 800V → eventual DC), focuses on six customers (Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Meta, Google, CoreWeave), and warns 2026–2027 will be execution years due to long-lead power gear, utility timelines, and tight MEP supply chains.
• Jan 5, 2026

  Beyond Energy Use: Strategies for Sustainable Data Center Operations

  The article argues that data center operators must prioritize sustainable operations as rapid US data center growth is straining regional grids and driving a large e-waste burden.

  • Main announcement/action: The piece calls on data center operators to adopt sustainable operations and circular lifecycle practices (modular/repairable systems, component-level upgrades, secure sanitization and certified reuse/resale) to reduce grid strain and e-waste; it cites 1,240 data centers built or approved in the US by end of 2024 and urges adoption of standards such as NIST 800-88 and ISO 27040, and use of R2v3 / e-Stewards certified ITAD partners.
  • Background and details: The article summarizes evidence and policy responses: Virginia data centers consumed about 26% of state electricity in 2023 (with North Dakota 15%, Nebraska 12%), Illinois bills H.B. 3758 / S.B. 2497 target 15 GW of state energy storage and establish a virtual power plant program, California enforces efficiency/carbon rules via Title 24; global e-waste was 62 million tons in 2022 and a study warns generative AI could add 1.2–5 million tons annually; used hardware may retain hundreds of thousands of dollars in residual value.
• Dec 31, 2025

  Power Generation in the Age of AI: Year-End 2025 Outlook

  PEI Global Partners (Adil Sener) warns that AI-driven data-center demand has transformed the U.S. power sector into a strategic national priority, shifting focus from cheapest MWh to deliverable, firm and timely power.

  • Main announcement/action: PEI highlights a new “speed to power” imperative driven by clustered AI/data center loads; key facts include data centers may reach up to 12% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2028 (from ~4.4% in 2023), forecasted 5.7% annual U.S. energy demand growth over the next five years, and explicit contracting examples such as Vistra’s 20-year PPA for up to 1,200 MW at Comanche Peak with implied pricing of ~$90–$100/MWh and an implied reliability/capacity value of ~ $24/kW-month (~$790/MW-day).
  • Background and implementation details: PEI argues the bottleneck is execution (interconnection, equipment, lead times) not capital: ~2 TW of solar+BESS in interconnection queues while build-throughput is ~2% annually; documented transformer lead times of ~143 weeks; 2024 U.S. builds were ~40 GW utility-scale solar and ~10 GW utility-scale BESS with EIA 2025 expectations ~33 GW solar and ~18 GW storage; federal and private support examples include DOE up to $800 million for SMR projects (TVA/Holtec) and private agreements (e.g., Amazon/X-energy). PEI is actively advising on M&A and financing processes that prioritize deliverability, speed-to-power and equipment-secured projects.
• Dec 19, 2025

  AI and Latency: Why Milliseconds Decide Winners and Losers in the Data Center Race

  The author argues that data center operators must prioritize low-latency infrastructure for AI inference.

  • Main announcement/action: The piece recommends deploying low-latency inference infrastructure (small, metro-proximate inference zones) and optimizing fiber route quality, redundancy, backplane architecture, heat, and power to serve real-time AI inference workloads; it cites a latency example of 20 milliseconds to 200 and notes NVIDIA’s prediction that inference will be 100x the size of training workloads in the near future.
  • Background and details: Training workloads can be placed in remote, power-rich locations (examples given: North Dakota, Idaho) because they tolerate latency, while inference must be near end-users; the article notes AWS charges a premium for latency-optimized inference SKUs, and cites Anthropic’s coding assistant overload as an example of capacity pressure causing degraded performance.