Applied Digital Ellendale AI Data Center: February 2025 Update

 

As AI and high-performance computing (HPC) continue to push technological boundaries, the demand for powerful, efficient infrastructure is more critical than ever. In February 2025, Applied Digital’s Ellendale AI Data Center marked significant progress in meeting that demand. The team announced that ELN02 has officially powered on its first lineup, a major step toward full-scale operation. With Phase 2 equipment deliveries underway and a strong emphasis on workforce development, the momentum in Ellendale is palpable. What makes this effort stand out is not just the technical achievement, but the commitment to sustainable, scalable infrastructure built to fuel the future of AI. As rural America becomes home to cutting-edge technology, Applied Digital is leading the way with smart, forward-looking development.

Recent Episodes

As AI infrastructure spreads beyond tech hubs and into America’s heartland, companies face a new imperative: not just to build facilities—but to build trust, local partnerships, and long-term value for the communities that host them. In Ellendale, North Dakota, Applied Digital’s Polaris Forge 1 campus has become a case study in what rural revitalization…

As demand for artificial intelligence continues to soar, the AI infrastructure needed to power it is scaling just as rapidly. A 2024 report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts that global spending on AI infrastructure will exceed $200 billion by 2028, driven by an explosion in compute-heavy applications like large language models and…

AI workloads are redefining the limits of data center design and infrastructure. Legacy data centers, built for traditional co-location, cannot handle the density, thermal demands, or power dynamics of accelerated computing. The AI boom has upended the data center sector, forcing a rapid shift to liquid-cooled racks as facilities pivot from sub-10kW racks to…