Data Center Registry
CoreWeave NEST Campus
Kenilworth, Union County, New Jersey · All 3 CoreWeave sites
CoreWeave NEST Campus is a data center under construction in Kenilworth, New Jersey (Union County), operated by CoreWeave. The public record puts it at announced 2025, 250 MW planned, 27 acres, a reported $1.8 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
- CoreWeave
- Facility type
- Data center, AI use confirmed
- Location
- Kenilworth, Union County, NJ
- Coordinates
- 40.6762, -74.2913
- Power capacity
- 250 MW planned
- Land
- 27 acres
- Investment
- $1.8 billion
- Announced
- 2025
- Utility
- PSE&G
- Power source
- Grid
- Cooling
- Closed loop
- Water use
- Not established from a public source
- Jobs
- 143 permanent
- Public subsidy
- New Jersey EDA 'Next New Jersey, AI' tax credit, up to $250M ($50M/year for five years, performance-based, 10-year retention); CoreWeave was the first award under the program, which NJ later froze, New Jersey, 2025
- Community reception
- Contested
- Source confidence
- Reported by at least one credible outlet or filing
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 constructionConstruction began September 2025; 392,600 sq ft facility; operational target early 2027 Source: News 12 New Jersey
- 2025PermittedAwarded $250M NJ state tax credit under new EDA program; CoreWeave purchased former Merck campus on Galloping Hill Rd for $322M Source: Real Estate NJ
Opposition and litigation at this site
Yes. CoreWeave NEST Campus in Kenilworth, Union County, New Jersey is contested. Hearings, public comment, petitions, or organized opposition are on record, and no lawsuit has been filed so far. The mayor backs the project as filling the economic gap left by Merck's departure, and CoreWeave is New Jersey-based.
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.
The mayor backs the project as filling the economic gap left by Merck's departure, and CoreWeave is New Jersey-based. But residents circulated a petition with 1,500+ signatures citing water, flood-risk, and electricity-cost concerns, and the state froze the incentive program after broader backlash over power costs.
Power and water
Grid-served via PSE&G (PJM), which conducted load studies and committed grid infrastructure. The site is a former Merck research campus; reports of a legacy on-site power plant and substation are unconfirmed in primary sources.
The mayor states the facility uses a closed-loop cooling system that avoids continuous use of local water; no volume (MGD) is disclosed.
Public money on the record
| Program | Amount | Granted by | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey EDA 'Next New Jersey, AI' tax credit, up to $250M ($50M/year for five years, performance-based, 10-year retention); CoreWeave was the first award under the program, which NJ later froze | Not established | New Jersey | 2025 |
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.
- Equinix NY11 · Carteret · Equinix7 mi · Operating
- 165 Halsey Street · Newark · Tishman Real Estate7 mi · Operating · 80 MW
- Telehouse New York (Staten Island Teleport) · Staten Island · Telehouse America (KDDI)8 mi · Operating
- Iron Mountain Data Centers NJE-1 · Edison · Iron Mountain11 mi · Operating · 30 MW
- Digital Realty New York EWR11 · Piscataway Township · Digital Realty12 mi · Operating
- Digital Realty New York EWR12 · Piscataway Township · Digital Realty12 mi · Operating
- QTS Piscataway 1 · Piscataway · QTS Data Centers13 mi · Operating · 65 MW
- Equinix NY5 · Secaucus · Equinix13 mi · Operating
Questions people ask about this site
Is there opposition to the CoreWeave NEST Campus in Kenilworth?
Yes. CoreWeave NEST Campus in Kenilworth, Union County, New Jersey is contested. Hearings, public comment, petitions, or organized opposition are on record, and no lawsuit has been filed so far. The mayor backs the project as filling the economic gap left by Merck's departure, and CoreWeave is New Jersey-based.
Has anyone filed a lawsuit over the CoreWeave NEST Campus?
No lawsuit over CoreWeave NEST Campus appears in the record we track as of July 6, 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 CoreWeave NEST Campus use?
No water withdrawal figure for CoreWeave NEST Campus is on record here. Cooling is recorded as closed_loop, which is the strongest available clue: closed loop and air cooled plant draw far less than evaporative cooling. We leave the number blank rather than estimate one.
Who operates CoreWeave NEST Campus, and how big is it?
CoreWeave is the operator on record. We hold 3 sites for that company across the registry. Capacity on record is 250 MW. The site is recorded at 27 acres.
How to cite this page
SueDataCenters.org Data Center Registry, "CoreWeave NEST Campus," updated July 6, 2026, https://suedatacenters.org/data-centers/coreweave-kenilworth-nj.
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/coreweave-kenilworth-nj, 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.CoreWeave begins $1.8B data center project in Kenilworth, Real Estate NJ · Real Estate NJ · retrieved July 5, 2026
- 2.AI Data Center Under Construction in Kenilworth draws mixed reactions, News 12 NJ · News 12 New Jersey · retrieved July 5, 2026
- 3.AI data center under construction in Kenilworth draws mixed reactions from residents, News 12 New Jersey · News 12 New Jersey · retrieved July 6, 2026
- 4.CoreWeave acquires NEST data center for $322m at life-sciences campus in New Jersey, Data Center Dynamics · Data Center Dynamics · retrieved July 6, 2026
- 5.Next New Jersey Program, AI, NJ Economic Development Authority · NJ Economic Development Authority · retrieved July 6, 2026
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