Data Center Registry

Applied Digital Polaris Forge 3

Hanover, Oliver County, North Dakota · All 9 Applied Digital sites

Under constructionContestedAI confirmedRecord updated October 26, 2026

Applied Digital Polaris Forge 3 is a data center under construction in Hanover, North Dakota (Oliver County), operated by Applied Digital Corporation. The public record puts it at announced May 2026, 430 MW planned. 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: Hanover, Oliver County, ND
Coordinates: 47.1110, -101.4260 (approximate)
Power capacity: 430 MW planned
Land: Not established from a public source
Investment: Not established from a public source
Announced: May 2026
Utility: Montana-Dakota Utilities Co.
Power source: Grid
Cooling: Not established from a public source
Water use: Not established from a public source
Jobs: 200 permanent; 1,000 construction
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.

October 26, 2026
Under construction
Applied Digital's Oct. 7, 2026 earnings release lists Polaris Forge 3 (Center, ND), leased to a tier-one investment-grade hyperscaler, among projects in various stages of construction. Site clearing and grading were reported underway as of Sept. 9, 2026. Source: Applied Digital Corporation (SEC EDGAR)
July 10, 2026
Proposed
MDU Resources power deal finalized 2026-06-23; road-use agreement signed with the county July 10, 2026; groundbreaking planned summer 2026. Source: Valley News Live

Opposition and litigation at this site

Yes. Applied Digital Polaris Forge 3 in Hanover, Oliver County, North Dakota is contested. Hearings, public comment, petitions, or organized opposition are on record, and no lawsuit has been filed so far. Oliver County commissioners enacted, then repealed, a 180-day countywide data-center moratorium (approved ~June 2026, repealed by July 10, 2026) amid resident concerns raised at public meetings.

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.

Oliver County commissioners enacted, then repealed, a 180-day countywide data-center moratorium (approved ~June 2026, repealed by July 10, 2026) amid resident concerns raised at public meetings.

Source: Valley News Live

Power and water

Electric service agreement (June 22, 2026) for 430 MW at full capacity, pending ND PSC approval. Applied Digital buys energy from the market or other supply arrangements. Separately, it has a 15-year PPA (Oct. 2026) with Base Electron for an approximately 1,200 MW gas-fired plant in North Dakota, with deliveries expected from 2030.

Notes on the record

Distinct 3rd North Dakota site (not the Ellendale or Harwood campuses), south of Hanover near the Hwy 25/31 junction. MDU Resources power deal finalized June 23, 2026. Approximately 200 FTE jobs planned; groundbreaking targeted summer 2026.

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
Land area

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.
Land area: The rezoning application, the plat, or the deed recorded with the county.

Have one of these documents? Send it to us and we will add it to the record with attribution.

Other sites within 30 miles

Distances are between recorded coordinates, many of which are a city or county centroid, so treat them as approximate. Cumulative load on one utility and one aquifer is the question a planning commission rarely asks.

Coal Creek Data Center Park (Rainbow Energy) · Underwood · Rainbow Energy Center22 mi · Proposed
Greenidge Underwood (North Dakota) · Underwood · Greenidge Generation27 mi · Operating · 7.5 MW

Tell us about your situation

Living near Applied Digital Polaris Forge 3?

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Questions people ask about this site

Is there opposition to the Applied Digital Polaris Forge 3 data center in Hanover?

Has anyone filed a lawsuit over the Applied Digital Polaris Forge 3 data center?

No lawsuit over Applied Digital Polaris Forge 3 appears in the record we track as of October 26, 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 3 use?

No water withdrawal figure for Applied Digital Polaris Forge 3 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 3, and how big is it?

Applied Digital Corporation is the operator on record. We hold 9 sites for that company across the registry. Capacity on record is 430 MW.

How to cite this page

SueDataCenters.org Data Center Registry, "Applied Digital Polaris Forge 3," updated October 26, 2026, https://suedatacenters.org/data-centers/applied-digital-polaris-forge-3-oliver-nd.

Facility data from Compute Atlas (E. Kubiak), version 1.34.1 (October 4, 2026), licensed CC BY 4.0, record https://www.compute-atlas.com/facilities/applied-digital-polaris-forge-3-oliver-nd, retrieved October 29, 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 expands North Dakota, eyes Oliver County third data center · Valley News Live · retrieved September 10, 2026
2.Applied Digital submits rezoning application for data center in Oliver County · KFYR · retrieved July 17, 2026
3.Montana-Dakota Utilities Announces Electric Service Agreement with Applied Digital for Proposed AI Factory · MDU Resources via PR Newswire · retrieved October 26, 2026
4.Applied Digital Reports Fiscal First Quarter 2027 Results (Form 8-K Ex. 99.1) · Applied Digital Corporation (SEC EDGAR) · retrieved October 26, 2026
5.Applied Digital Reports Fiscal First Quarter 2027 Results (Form 8-K Ex. 99.1) · Applied Digital Corporation (SEC EDGAR) · retrieved October 26, 2026
6.Applied Digital Breaks Ground on Polaris Forge 3, a ~300MW HPC Campus in Oliver County, North Dakota · NextDC · retrieved October 26, 2026

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