MINOT — Our state has long sought ways to diversify its economy. Energy and agriculture are our strengths, but insofar as they can be volatile industries vulnerable to the vagaries of the commodities markets, they can also be our weakness. The goal of generations of North Dakota leaders has been to add to that foundation, and our state's economic strength, by bringing in other industries.

This is easier said than accomplished. It's been hard to attract new businesses and workers to our state, which is why we have a chronic shortage of both.

The data center industry likes North Dakota. They're making billions of dollars in investments here, most recently in a proposed facility near Harwood, to be built by Applied Digital. That project has made some headlines over some loud but small pr

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