Data centers in Durham County, North Carolina: 2 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Durham County is not new to data centers. The county tax office counts 14, all but one built before 2000, most in Research Triangle Park; the largest is Dell's, at about 293,000 square feet, and CyrusOne runs a 242,000-square-foot facility near the park, the INDY reported. Planning Director Sara Young told commissioners some had never been recorded as data centers, since it isn't a use category in the ordinance. The city of Durham moved first, passing a 60-day moratorium in May 2026 that has since been extended and now runs to May 2027.

On August 24, 2026, county commissioners voted 4-1 for a nine-month moratorium to match, with exemptions for data centers under 100,000 square feet that use closed-loop cooling and no diesel backup generators. Commissioner Nida Allam cast the lone no vote, opposing those exemptions: "For me, in my perspective, a delay for a company of nine months is monetary. But the impact on folks' health and wellbeing, and financial stability, is going to last a lifetime." Her amendment requiring builders to disclose water use and fuel passed. Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop warned, "Closed loop does not mean zero waste," and Commissioner Larissa Williamson said the county had "no enforcement powers over the electrical usage."

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.