Applied Digital data centers: 6 sites mapped

Applied Digital's second North Dakota AI campus, Polaris Forge 2 near Harwood, is close to opening: part of its 280-megawatt data center should begin operating by the end of 2026 and the rest in early 2027, the company told The Forum in September 2026. About 1,800 workers were finishing two 907,000-square-foot buildings, which will draw power from Cass County Electric through a new substation Applied Digital is paying $112 million to build. The campus is leased to Oracle, and Applied Digital closed a $2.15 billion bond offering in March 2026 to fund construction. The North Dakota Public Service Commission unanimously approved the substation and transmission line to serve the site.

Harwood approved the $3 billion project in September 2025, weeks after it was announced, over protests at a planning and zoning meeting where members of the crowd shouted "cowards" and "shame." "This feels too fast," resident Alesha Greseth said. "I think we need to take a break and chill out." Fargo, which had voted to annex the land, dropped its annexation on Dec. 8, 2025, ending a fight between the two cities over who would collect the property taxes.

The company's first campus, Polaris Forge 1 at Ellendale, is leased to CoreWeave under 15-year leases worth $11 billion; chief executive Wes Cummins says its data centers are designed for "near-zero" water use. A third North Dakota campus is planned near Center, in Oliver County, where commissioners signed a road use agreement in July 2026 and repealed a data center moratorium after Applied Digital agreed not to discharge wastewater into the aquifer.

In Louisiana, Applied Digital is building Delta Forge 1, a $3.6 billion, 300-acre campus in Boyce, Rapides Parish, needing 300 megawatts from Cleco; site work began in January 2026 with operations expected in mid-2027. At a June 23, 2026 town hall, central Louisiana residents voiced skepticism, and records show the company has set aside 672 acres with room for two or three more buildings.

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.