Data Center Registry
Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2
Harwood, Cass County, North Dakota · All 7 Applied Digital sites
Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2 is a data center under construction in Harwood, North Dakota (Cass County), operated by Applied Digital Corporation. The public record puts it at announced August 2025, 280 MW planned, 900 acres, a reported $3 billion investment. It is the subject of active public debate, with hearings, petitions, or organized opposition on record.
Every line on this page traces to a public source listed at the bottom. Where a figure was looked for and not found, the row says so. A blank is never a zero.
Facility record
Under construction
- Operator
- Applied Digital Corporation
- Facility type
- Data center, AI use confirmed
- Location
- Harwood, Cass County, ND
- Coordinates
- 47.0200, -97.0250
- Power capacity
- 280 MW planned
- Land
- 900 acres
- Investment
- $3 billion
- Announced
- August 2025
- Utility
- Cass County Electric Cooperative / Minnkota Power Cooperative
- Power source
- Grid
- Cooling
- Not established from a public source
- Water use
- Not established from a public source
- Jobs
- 200 permanent
- Public subsidy
- Not established from a public source
- Community reception
- Contested
- Source confidence
- Confirmed by multiple independent sources or official documentation
Timeline from the record
Newest first. Record entries come from the filings and reports the registry cites. Coverage entries are headlines from publisher feeds we monitor daily, linked to the outlet; last checked September 14, 2026.
- September 2025Under constructionGroundbreaking September 2025; initial operations expected end of 2026, full capacity early 2027 Source: Applied Digital Corporation
- August 2025ProposedPolaris Forge 2 announced; $3B, 280 MW AI factory campus on 900+ acres near Harwood Source: Applied Digital Corporation
Opposition and litigation at this site
Yes. Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2 in Harwood, Cass County, North Dakota is contested. Hearings, public comment, petitions, or organized opposition are on record, and no lawsuit has been filed so far. Opposition surfaced when the project was announced (Aug 2025): environmental advocates and at least one area farmer argued Minnkota Power Cooperative member-owners (farmers, ranchers, rural residents) could see higher electric rates from the substation/powerline buildout funded to serve the data center; one resident called for a moratorium to allow more planning time.
How the community has taken it
Reception is a sourced signal, not an editorial judgment: contested means active public debate is on record, with hearings, petitions, or organized opposition, without litigation.
Opposition surfaced when the project was announced (Aug 2025): environmental advocates and at least one area farmer argued Minnkota Power Cooperative member-owners (farmers, ranchers, rural residents) could see higher electric rates from the substation/powerline buildout funded to serve the data center; one resident called for a moratorium to allow more planning time. No vote, denial, or litigation reported as of 2026-03-23; the ND Public Service Commission went on to approve the power project 2026-04-29/30.
Power and water
280 MW peak demand; power secured through Cass County Electric Cooperative, a member-owned nonprofit, in partnership with Minnkota Power Cooperative
Notes on the record
Two purpose-built facilities totaling more than 1.8 million sq ft. As of the August 2025 announcement, Applied Digital was in advanced negotiations with a U.S.-based investment-grade hyperscaler; no customer or lease value publicly confirmed. Partial operations expected end of 2026; full capacity early 2027. Coordinates are Harwood city centroid; site is approximately 900 acres near this community north of Fargo.
What the record does not establish, and the document that would
In every fight on our tracker the decisive fact came out of a public records request. These are the requests for this site.
- Cooling method and water use
- Tax abatements or other public subsidy
Which document closes each gap
- Cooling method and water use
- The water service agreement, any groundwater appropriation permit, and the mechanical narrative in the site plan.
- Tax abatements or other public subsidy
- The abatement, PILOT, or development agreement approved by the county, city, or development authority, and the state's data center sales tax exemption certificate if one was issued.
Have one of these documents? Send it to us and we will add it to the record with attribution.
Questions people ask about this site
Is there opposition to the Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2 data center in Harwood?
Yes. Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2 in Harwood, Cass County, North Dakota is contested. Hearings, public comment, petitions, or organized opposition are on record, and no lawsuit has been filed so far. Opposition surfaced when the project was announced (Aug 2025): environmental advocates and at least one area farmer argued Minnkota Power Cooperative member-owners (farmers, ranchers, rural residents) could see higher electric rates from the substation/powerline buildout funded to serve the data center; one resident called for a moratorium to allow more planning time.
Has anyone filed a lawsuit over the Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2 data center?
No lawsuit over Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2 appears in the record we track as of September 10, 2026. Residents most often reach a lawyer over water supply, well drawdown, noise from cooling plant, property value, or a rezoning approved without the notice the ordinance required. If any of that is happening near this site, it is worth a review whether or not a case has been filed yet.
How much water does Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2 use?
No water withdrawal figure for Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2 is on record here. Water use is rarely published voluntarily; it usually surfaces through a utility service agreement or a state withdrawal permit, both of which are public records. We leave the number blank rather than estimate one.
Who operates Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2, and how big is it?
Applied Digital Corporation is the operator on record. We hold 7 sites for that company across the registry. Capacity on record is 280 MW. The site is recorded at 900 acres.
How to cite this page
SueDataCenters.org Data Center Registry, "Applied Digital Polaris Forge 2," updated September 10, 2026, https://suedatacenters.org/data-centers/applied-digital-polaris-forge-2-harwood-nd.
Facility data from Compute Atlas (E. Kubiak), version 1.32.0 (September 7, 2026), licensed CC BY 4.0, record https://www.compute-atlas.com/facilities/applied-digital-polaris-forge-2-harwood-nd, retrieved September 14, 2026.
Corrections with a public source are welcome at the Compute Atlas record or through our contact page. The whole registry is available as CSV and JSON under CC BY 4.0.
Sources for this record
As compiled and cited by Compute Atlas, with our own reporting appended. Archived links are used where the original has moved.
- 1.Applied Digital to Break Ground on $3 Billion Polaris Forge 2 Campus · Applied Digital Corporation · retrieved July 6, 2026
- 2.Minnkota Power Cooperative: Data Center FAQs (Polaris Forge 2) · Minnkota Power Cooperative · retrieved July 6, 2026
- 3.Data center developer looks west, backs power upgrades near Fargo · InForum · retrieved September 10, 2026
- 4.Power project for AI data center gets North Dakota agency approval · Valley News Live · retrieved September 10, 2026
- 5.Data center developer looks west, backs power upgrades near Fargo · InForum · retrieved September 10, 2026
- 6.Data center developer looks west, backs power upgrades near Fargo · InForum · retrieved September 10, 2026
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