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Data centers in Cass County, North Dakota: 1 project mapped
Applied Digital is finishing Polaris Forge 2, a $3 billion, 280-megawatt AI data center on farmland east of Interstate 29 between Fargo and Harwood. About 1,800 workers are completing two 907,000-square-foot buildings, and the company says part of the campus will open by the end of 2026 and the rest in early 2027. The Harwood City Council approved the rezoning on September 10, 2025, which let the Texas company break ground.
The approval came after two angry meetings. At the first vote on September 2, residents shouted at Mayor Blake Hankey and one person was removed; Hankey said he hoped the project would "stop Fargo from coming into our backyard." The final vote came without discussion or public comment, with Hankey joining by video from Portugal. "They're acting like good little lap dogs right now," resident Michael Swartz said of the council.
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Fargo had tried to annex about 300 acres including the site, and Mayor Tim Mahoney said the city wanted a say over roads, water, power and emergency calls. He also said the center would use 20% of the electricity produced in North Dakota. The Fargo City Commission voted unanimously on December 8, 2025, to drop the annexation.
Power comes from Cass County Electric Cooperative, whose chief executive said the data center will about double the co-op's peak demand but will not drive up rates for existing customers. Applied Digital says it is paying $112 million for a substation and power lines and is getting no tax breaks. It expects 200 to 250 people to work at the site once it opens.
Data center projects on record in Cass County
Grouped by the town each site sits in. The report above may name projects that have no record here yet.
Harwood1
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Digital: Polaris Forge 2Harwood | Applied Digital | Under construction | 280 MW |
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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.