HARWOOD, N.D. — A data center builder is widening its North Dakota footprint to a small town in Cass County, where it is slated to break ground on a $3 billion facility as part of a movement to make the state the "epicenter" for the development of artificial intelligence.

The facility will be the first hyperscale AI data center in Cass County.

According to a Monday, Aug. 18, release from Applied Digital — a corporation with a handful of pricey tech projects popping up around the state — the groundbreaking for a 280-megawatt data center just outside Harwood is set for September. A specific date and location have not been announced, and the company did not respond to a request for comment by publishing time.

Harwood Mayor Blake Hankey told Forum News Service the development is going up

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