HARWOOD, N.D. — Harwood will let a $3 billion artificial intelligence data center begin construction near the city, despite protests and pleas to postpone the decision.

Without discussion, the Harwood City Council unanimously approved on Wednesday, Sept. 10, a request to rezone land where Applied Digital plans to build a 280-megawatt AI data center from agriculture to light industrial. The final approval means the Texas-based company can break ground on the 160-acre project that will sit on 925 acres of land between Fargo and Harwood east of Interstate 29.

Applied Digital announced the project in mid-August. It plans to break ground this month and open partially by the end of 2026. The facility will be fully operational in early 2027, the company said.

The center should create 200 ful

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