ComEd joins with CloudHQ to build $2.5B data center in northern Illinois
Work on a new data center campus for northern Illinois — in Mount Prospect, specifically — began this week under joint efforts from ComEd and global data center company CloudHQ.
While this week marked the groundbreaking, when finished, the project is expected to cost approximately $2.5 billion and span 1.5 million square feet. It’s meant to expand capacity for business tech needs in the region and will be situated on the site of the former United Airlines headquarters.
“ComEd is thrilled to support the launch of one of the largest data centers ever seen in our state, as part of our ongoing work to power growth by Illinois companies who continue to bring jobs and investment into the communities we are proud to serve,” Gil Quinones, CEO of ComEd, said. “Companies like CloudHQ continue to look to northern Illinois and our service territory thanks to the unparalleled access to clean, affordable and reliable power that is essential for meeting the demands of today’s economy.”
To support the new data center — which will be completed in phases — ComEd will supply an onsite substation, extend high voltage lines and invest in new technology for CloudHQ’s data center services. While the first phase of the project should conclude in 2024, an additional two buildings will be completed over the next 3-5 years, as driven by demand. Those buildings will in turn be filled with thousands of computer servers.
“CloudHQ is excited to be bringing this hyperscale development to the Village of Mount Prospect,” Keith Harney, COO of CloudHQ, said. “The location, scale and speed to market of our ORD Campus reinforces all we strive to achieve, as partners to our customers. The demand we see for this location is already extremely encouraging and will be supported by a new dedicated on-site ComEd substation that will allow us to scale to power future customer demand.
The project has already been approved by the local government. Once complete, it’s expected to employ over 100 full-time jobs. It will join more than 70 other operating data centers in the ComEd northern Illinois service area.
