Applied Digital delivered the first 75 MW phase of Building 2 at its Polaris Forge 1 campus in Ellendale, North Dakota, bringing total operational capacity at the AI infrastructure campus to 175 MW. The company achieved Ready for Service on schedule, following the earlier delivery of the campus’s first 100 MW building.
Polaris Forge 1 is fully leased and designed to support high-density AI and high-performance computing workloads. At full buildout, the campus is contracted to provide 400 MW of critical IT load under long-term lease agreements. Applied Digital said its development strategy centers on converting secured power capacity into operational data center infrastructure aligned with customer deployment schedules.
Applied Digital uses what it calls an AI Factory franchise model to develop its campuses. The framework deploys a core team of design, construction, engineering, procurement, and operations professionals across projects while maintaining dedicated site-level execution teams. The company plans to use this model as it expands its AI data center portfolio.
• Building 2 Phase 1 capacity: 75 MW
• Total operational capacity at Polaris Forge 1: 175 MW
• Contracted capacity at full buildout: 400 MW of critical IT load
• Location: Ellendale, North Dakota
• Campus status: Fully leased
• Workloads: AI and high-performance computing
• Previous milestone: First 100 MW building delivered on schedule
• Development model: Replicated design, construction, and operations teams supported by centralized expertise
“Polaris Forge 1 continues to validate the repeatable model we are building across our AI Factory platform. We are not just securing power; we are turning it into live, operational AI capacity. That is the hard part, and it is where Applied Digital continues to differentiate itself,” said Wes Cummins, Chairman and CEO of Applied Digital.
🌐 Analysis: The milestone shifts another 75 MW of Polaris Forge 1 from construction into operational AI capacity, an important distinction as AI infrastructure developers compete to secure power, financing, customers, and equipment while meeting contracted delivery schedules. Applied Digital is also expanding its North Dakota footprint with the planned 280 MW Polaris Forge 2 campus in Harwood, extending its strategy of developing large-scale AI campuses around secured power capacity and long-term customer commitments.
Applied Digital Applied Digital designs, builds, and operates high-density data center infrastructure for AI, cloud, HPC, networking, and blockchain workloads. Profile Updated: July 2026 | |
| Overview | Applied Digital is a Dallas-based digital infrastructure company focused on developing and operating large-scale, high-performance data center campuses. The company has shifted its public positioning toward AI Factory infrastructure, including high-density colocation capacity for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing customers. |
| Why It Matters | Applied Digital is part of the new AI infrastructure buildout in which access to power, rapid campus delivery, cooling design, and long-term hyperscale leasing have become central constraints. Its Polaris Forge 1 campus in North Dakota is contracted for 400 MW of critical IT load, with 175 MW live as of July 2026. |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Dallas, Texas |
| CEO / Key Leadership | Wes Cummins, Chairman and CEO; Jason Zhang, Co-Founder and President. |
| Core Technologies | AI data centers; high-density colocation; power-to-capacity development; cooling infrastructure. |
| Key Products / Platforms | Polaris Forge 1 AI Factory Campus in Ellendale, North Dakota; AI and HPC colocation services; large-scale data center design, construction, and operations. |
| Funding / Major Milestone | In July 2026, Applied Digital announced Ready for Service for Phase 1 of Building 2 at Polaris Forge 1, adding 75 MW and bringing total live campus capacity to 175 MW. |
| Target Markets | AI Infrastructure; Data Centers; Cloud; HPC. |
| Editorial Coverage | Converge Digest coverage should track Applied Digital’s AI data center campus delivery, hyperscale leasing activity, power procurement, cooling architecture, financing milestones, and execution risk around large-scale AI Factory capacity. |
| Industry Context | Applied Digital sits in the AI infrastructure segment where data center developers, neocloud providers, hyperscalers, power providers, and cooling suppliers are competing to convert available energy and land into operational GPU-ready capacity. |
| Related Knowledge Hubs | AI Infrastructure | Data Centers | Applied Digital |