Why an AI Data Center on the Prairie Is Sitting Empty

Applied Digital built a state-of-the-art data center for AI in North Dakota. But it’s having trouble finding a customer to fill it.

Art by Mike Sullivan

For a town with a population of just over 1,000, a Bible college and a quaint main street, there’s an unusual amount of bustle in Ellendale, N.D. A housing project with 20 homes is going up, along with a 38-unit apartment complex. Even a new pickleball court just opened.

All of the developments are meant to support an anticipated influx of people to help operate a 300,000-square-foot data center that will eventually power the latest artificial intelligence models. There’s just one problem: The company behind the data center, Applied Digital, still hasn’t found a customer for the facility.