October 27, 2025
Applied Digital (NASDAQ: APLD) has announced that the first 50-megawatt (MW) phase of its new Polaris Forge 1 AI data center campus in Ellendale, North Dakota, is now operational and ready for its anchor tenant, AI cloud provider CoreWeave.
This initial delivery marks the first step in a substantial 400MW capacity agreement between the two companies. The deal was originally signed for 250MW in June 2025 but was subsequently expanded by CoreWeave to utilize the entire capacity of the Polaris Forge 1 facility. The expanded agreement is part of a larger 15-year, $11 billion contract.
Company executives highlighted the achievement as a testament to their execution capabilities in the rapidly growing AI infrastructure sector.
“This ready-for-service milestone is a clear demonstration of our team’s ability to convert highly complex AI Factory designs from blueprint to production with precision and speed,” said Wes Cummins, CEO of Applied Digital. “Bringing the first phase of Polaris Forge 1 online in record time establishes a new standard for the future of data centers.”
Laura Laltrello, Chief Operating Officer of Applied Digital, added, “Bringing this first building online while on track to deliver the next 50MW before the end of the year spotlights our team’s precise execution, strategic planning, and strong alignment with our innovative partners.”
Strategic Pivot to AI and HPC
The Polaris Forge 1 campus, where construction began in September 2022, was initially conceived for cryptocurrency and high-performance computing (HPC) applications. The site is designed to support a total of 400MW of critical IT load. The company also stated it has over 1 gigawatt of power capacity in various stages of development across its sites.
Applied Digital, which was founded as Applied Blockchain, has strategically pivoted to capitalize on the surge in demand for AI computing. While the company continues to host hardware for other cryptomining firms at its existing 180MW Ellendale facility (ELN01), its new developments, like the 100MW ELN02 building, are dedicated to HPC and AI hosting.
The company is also developing its own cloud services and has previously stated plans to host and provide access to advanced Nvidia Blackwell GPUs. The momentum continues with a recently secured $5 billion, 15-year contract for its upcoming Polaris Forge 2 Campus, also located in North Dakota.
SOURCE DCD
