Aligned plans Ohio AI campus next to retired Conesville coal plant, with first capacity targeted mid-2026

Aligned’s planned mega-scale AI campus in Ohio is targeting initial capacity delivery in mid-2026, and the first data center has a “foundational customer,” according to Aligned’s July 24, 2025 announcement carried by GlobeNewswire.

A 197-acre Ohio build that starts with power adjacency and land certainty

Aligned says it will develop a 197-acre parcel in the Conesville Industrial Park in Coshocton County, Ohio, adjacent to the former AEP Conesville Power Plant. Data Center Frontier describes the plant as retired in its July 31, 2025 coverage. GlobeNewswire describes the project as brownfield revitalization and calls it a multi-building, phased development representing a “multi-billion dollar investment.”

Data Center Frontier reports this is Aligned’s third campus in Ohio, and ties the state’s appeal to available power, fiber routes, and shifting regulatory incentives, though it does not detail specific abatement programs or incentive values. GlobeNewswire similarly emphasizes economic impact, pointing to thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of long-term operational roles, without naming specific job classifications or wage ranges.

GlobeNewswire says the first data center has a “foundational customer,” but it does not identify the customer. Data Center Frontier’s July 31, 2025 story also does not name a tenant.

Cooling is now the gating spec, and Aligned is trying to prove it early

The article describes Aligned’s liquid cooling labs in Phoenix and NVIDIA-accelerated AI deployments with Lambda in Dallas as part of the company’s AI-first infrastructure push.

Data Center Frontier’s references to liquid cooling labs and GPU deployments point to the technical questions buyers may raise when negotiating colocation or build-to-suit capacity for GPU-heavy programs, including cooling approach and water strategy.

Brookings Institution’s overview of data centers frames the same two-resource pressure points, energy and water, as central to AI-era data center growth. That context helps explain why operators are now asking for evidence, not assurances, on cooling architecture and water consumption profiles when evaluating new capacity.

Sustainability claims are getting third-party checks, and that changes procurement

Data Center Frontier reports that Aligned’s PHX-06 facility in Phoenix earned a Three Green Globes rating from the Green Building Initiative, and it lists elements Aligned associates with that outcome, including reduced water usage, efficient energy systems, and renewable power sourcing. While those Phoenix details are separate from the Ohio project, they form part of Aligned’s pitch: scale, plus a documented path to efficiency and sustainability targets.

For procurement and infrastructure governance teams, third-party building ratings are turning into a practical contract input. When a provider can point to a recognized certification on a completed facility, it becomes easier to translate “sustainable design” into requirements language, reporting obligations, and, in some cases, penalties or remedies tied to performance claims.

GlobeNewswire highlights Aligned’s intent to engage locally through educational programs and environmental initiatives in Coshocton County, but does not provide program names or funding levels.

Where this lands in 2026 capacity planning

Data Center Frontier’s coverage also hints at a second pattern: vendors are building “proof environments” like cooling labs and GPU deployment references in parallel with new campus announcements. That is a response to buyer skepticism and to the practical reality that a cooling approach that works in one market does not always translate cleanly to another climate and water regime.

Questions to put in the next colocation or build-to-suit SOW

• If capacity is targeted for mid-2026, which milestones are committed by contract versus described as “targeted,” as stated in Aligned’s July 24, 2025 GlobeNewswire announcement?
• What cooling and power approach will be used for the first data center at Conesville, including any liquid cooling elements, consistent with Data Center Frontier’s discussion of Aligned’s liquid-cooling work in Phoenix and GPU deployments in Dallas?