• About Us
  • Partnership Opportunities
  • Privacy Policy

Data Center Frontier

Charting the future of data centers and cloud computing.

  • Cloud
    • Hyperscale
  • Colo
    • Site Selection
    • Interconnection
  • Energy
    • Sustainability
  • Cooling
  • Technology
    • Internet of Things
    • AI & Machine Learning
    • Edge Computing
    • Virtual Reality
    • Autonomous Cars
    • 5G Wireless
    • Satellites
  • Design
    • Servers
    • Storage
    • Network
  • Voices
  • Podcast
  • White Papers
  • Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Events
    • Newsletter
    • Companies
    • Data Center 101
  • Jobs
You are here: Home / Hyperscale / Aligned Enters Chicago Data Center Market with 100 MW Campus

Aligned Enters Chicago Data Center Market with 100 MW Campus

By Rich Miller - April 28, 2021

Aligned Enters Chicago Data Center Market with 100 MW Campus

An illustration of the future Aligned data center in Northlake, Ill. (Image: Aligned)

LinkedinTwitterFacebookSubscribe
Mail

Aligned is entering the Suburban Chicago market, and has broken ground on a 100-megawatt data center campus in Northlake, Ill., the company said today. The Chicago project continues the steady expansion of Aligned’s footprint, which now includes five markets in the U.S.

The Chicago data center market occupies a central place in America’s geography and mission-critical infrastructure. The Windy City is a major hub for Internet and financial infrastructure, with active communities of data center users and service providers. Many data center developers have expanded in the western suburbs surrounding O’Hare Airport, which has become a leading destination for hyperscale users.

Aligned will build its ORD1 campus on an 18.5-acre property in Northlake, where it will knock down the existing structure and build a 520,000 square foot data centers with 48 megawatts of capacity, and the ability to expand to 60 MWs. The site has room for a second, two-story data center that will bring the campus to more than 100 MWs of power.

“Whether by rail, road, air, or network packet, Chicago has long served as a major infrastructure hub for the nation’s commerce and now, a rapidly transforming digital economy,” said Andrew Schaap, CEO of Aligned. “The city’s central location, attractive data center sales tax incentives, long-haul connectivity and access to ample renewable energy options make it an ideal site for hyperscalers, cloud companies, and multinational enterprises to deploy their mission-critical infrastructure.”

Aligned now operates data center campuses in Dallas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Ashburn, Virginia. The company specializes in solving capacity management challenges through innovation in cooling and the supply chain. Each Aligned data hall includes a cooling wall featuring vertical stacks of its Delta Cube cooling units, which are about 4 feet wide and house multiple fan coils, allowing them to cool workloads of up to 50 kW per cabinet. The wall also contains space that allows for additional rows of Delta Cube units to be installed, providing additional capacity within the data hall.

The Aligned offering is positioned to appeal to technology-focused customers, especially growing Internet companies. “Clients really care about future-proofing,” said Schaap. “They want a provider they can grow with for 10 to 15 years.”

Infrastructure-Rich Location

That’s why Aligned enters new markets with large projects, and selects sites with the ability to add additional buildings. Northlake is just south of O’Hare Airport, and home to existing data centers for Microsoft and Digital Realty. The Aligned campus sits at the convergence of over 12 metro, long haul and international fiber networks, offering customers extensive connectivity options. and access to critical power from two substations with 170 MWs total capacity.

“Northlake is well positioned in the Chicago market, being centrally located and having great infrastructure to support the new facility,” said Northlake Mayor Jeffrey Sherwin. “This will be Northlake’s third data center development. We work closely with developers to make their projects a reality. Their success is our success.”

Data center activity in Greater Chicago has surged since 2019, when the region’s competitive position got a boost as Illinois approved new tax incentives. That included a robust 49 megawatts of leasing in the fourth quarter of 2020, and 71 megawatts for the full year, third-best in the U.S. after Northern Virginia and Silicon Valley, according to real estate sources.

“Chicago has been a consistently strong market for the last 20 years,” said Schaap. “It’s a market we wanted to get into, and we’re delighted with the property. It has great power and communications infrastructure.”

Schaap said hyperscale customers are continuing to add space, even after a year of blockbuster growth in 2020 as demand for cloud services surged rapidly as users shifted activity online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve seen a pretty good continued growth story,” said Schaap, who said Aligned was already seeing interest about space at the Chicago property. “I’m bullish about the future.”

LinkedinTwitterFacebookSubscribe
Mail

Tagged With: Aligned, Chicago, Chicago Data Center Market

Newsletters

Stay informed: Get our weekly updates!

Are you a new reader? Follow Data Center Frontier on Twitter or Facebook.

About Rich Miller

I write about the places where the Internet lives, telling the story of data centers and the people who build them. I founded Data Center Knowledge, the data center industry's leading news site. Now I'm exploring the future of cloud computing at Data Center Frontier.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Voices of the Industry

Six Ways Edge Computing is Changing the Digital Ecosystem Landscape

Six Ways Edge Computing is Changing the Digital Ecosystem Landscape The pandemic exposed a nation-wide digital divide. Brad Alexander of DartPoints, outlines how edge computing is bridging that gap and changing the digital ecosystem landscape.

White Papers

6Sigma Digital Twin

Release 16: Empowering Data Center Teams with Each New Software Release

In this white paper from Future Facilities, you’ll learn about the updates and features in the newest version of their 6Sigma Digital Twin, a 3-D physics-based virtual modeling software that provides cutting-edge graphics and integrations.

Get this PDF emailed to you.

We always respect your privacy and we never sell or rent our list to third parties. By downloading this White Paper you are agreeing to our terms of service. You can opt out at any time.

DCF Spotlight

Data center modules on display at the recent Edge Congress conference in Austin, Texas. (Photo: Rich Miller)

Edge Computing is Poised to Remake the Data Center Landscape

Data center leaders are investing in edge computing and edge solutions and actively looking at new ways to deploy edge capacity to support evolving business and user requirements.

An aerial view of major facilities in Data Center Alley in Ashburn, Virginia. (Image: Loudoun County)

Northern Virginia Data Center Market: The Focal Point for Cloud Growth

The Northern Virginia data center market is seeing a surge in supply and an even bigger surge in demand. Data Center Frontier explores trends, stats and future expectations for the No. 1 data center market in the country.

See More Spotlight Features

Newsletters

Get the Latest News from Data Center Frontier

Job Listings

RSS Job Openings | Pkaza Critical Facilities Recruiting

  • Critical Power Energy Manager - Data Center Development - Ashburn, VA
  • Site Development Manager - Data Center - Ashburn, VA
  • Data Center Facility Operations Director - Chicago, IL
  • Electrical Engineer - Senior - Dallas, TX
  • Mechanical Commissioning Engineer - Calgary, Alberta

See More Jobs

Data Center 101

Data Center 101: Mastering the Basics of the Data Center Industry

Data Center 101: Mastering the Basics of the Data Center Industry

Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Open Spectrum, brings our readers a series that provides an introductory guidebook to the ins and outs of the data center and colocation industry. Think power systems, cooling, solutions, data center contracts and more. The Data Center 101 Special Report series is directed to those new to the industry, or those of our readers who need to brush up on the basics.

  • Data Center Power
  • Data Center Cooling
  • Strategies for Data Center Location
  • Data Center Pricing Negotiating
  • Cloud Computing

See More Data center 101 Topics

About Us

Charting the future of data centers and cloud computing. We write about what’s next for the Internet, and the innovations that will take us there. We tell the story of the digital economy through the data center facilities that power cloud computing and the people who build them. Read more ...
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Our Founder

Data Center Frontier is edited by Rich Miller, the data center industry’s most experienced journalist. For more than 20 years, Rich has profiled the key role played by data centers in the Internet revolution. Meet the DCF team.

TOPICS

  • 5G Wireless
  • Cloud
  • Colo
  • Connected Cars
  • Cooling
  • Cornerstone
  • Coronavirus
  • Design
  • Edge Computing
  • Energy
  • Executive Roundtable
  • Featured
  • Finance
  • Hyperscale
  • Interconnection
  • Internet of Things
  • Machine Learning
  • Network
  • Podcast
  • Servers
  • Site Selection
  • Social Business
  • Special Reports
  • Storage
  • Sustainability
  • Videos
  • Virtual Reality
  • Voices of the Industry
  • Webinar
  • White Paper

Copyright Endeavor Business Media© 2022