Aurum Capital Ventures looks to develop in Burleigh County
A data center campus could be coming to North Dakota.
First reported by the Bismarck Tribune, Aurum Capital Ventures, Inc. this week told the Burleigh County Commission it is considering buying land within Bismarck city limits for a new data center.
The company is reportedly looking at 300 acres of county-owned land in east Bismarck at the same listed address as the Buckstop Junction historical village.
Aurum is also considering a purchase of "several hundred acres" of state land north of the county land. Further details on the potential development weren’t shared.
Bismarck is the capital city of North Dakota.
Aurum Capital Ventures, founded in 2019, describes itself as a sustainable data center firm focused on modular developments for AI and HPC workloads.
Aurum CEO John Paul Baric is also the founder of crypto firm Miningstore. Launched in 2015, Miningstore operates a 10MW cryptomine facility in Iowa. The company also sells mining rigs.
Buckstop Junction is a historic town established by the Missouri Valley Historical Society, an organization dedicated to studying and preserving the history of Bismarck. It contains historical buildings from the 19th and 20th Centuries – including post offices, service stations, banks, warehouses, a miner’s camp, etc – relocated to the village.
The company didn’t reply to the Tribune’s request for comment.
Iowa-based Aurum Capital Ventures, Inc. is not to be confused with Aurum Equity Partners, another US data center firm.
North Dakota doesn't have a major data center market. Applied Digital, Core Scientific, and several other crypto firms are present in the state. Local operators such as Dakota Carrier Network, Midco, 702 Communications, and Consolidated Communications are also present in the Peace Garden State. Critical Data House is planning a large campus in the state outside Williston.