Illinois Data Centers
- 350 E. Cermak Road in Chicago’s South Loop is one of the largest data center buildings in the world — 1.1 million square feet of carrier-neutral colocation.
- Illinois’s deregulated electricity market lets data centers shop among competing retail suppliers or buy directly from PJM wholesale — keeping rates at 8–10¢/kWh.
- Chicago sits at the crossroads of every major U.S. fiber route, making it the Midwest’s primary peering and interconnection hub.
350 E. Cermak and Chicago’s Network Crossroads
Chicago’s data center market is built on geography. East-west fiber routes connecting New York to the West Coast intersect here with north-south routes from Minneapolis to Dallas, making the city a natural network crossroads. The crown jewel is 350 E. Cermak Road (Lakeside Technology Center) — a 1.1-million-square-foot former Sears printing plant converted into one of the world’s largest carrier-neutral data centers, hosting hundreds of network carriers and cloud providers. Suburban DuPage County has become a secondary hub, with campuses in Elk Grove Village, Aurora, and Northlake offering cheaper space while maintaining fiber connectivity to downtown exchanges.
Illinois Counties with Data Centers
Cook County dominates with the Chicago metro concentration, but 21 Illinois counties have tracked facilities. The I-88 corridor through DuPage and Kane counties has become a growth vector, offering suburban land prices with direct fiber runs to 350 E. Cermak and other downtown peering points.
| County | Facilities | Capacity (MW) | Top Operators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook | 125 | 2,521 | STACK Infrastructure, Ascent, CME Group +67 more |
| DuPage | 44 | 391 | Zayo, 360E 22nd LLC, CloudCenters +29 more |
| Lake | 7 | 1,708 | DLS Internet Services, Excalibur Technology, T5 Data Centers +3 more |
| Will | 5 | 2,300 | Cloverleaf Infrastructure, Hillwood Development Company, Joliet Technology +2 more |
| Kendall | 5 | 1,800 | CyrusOne, Microsoft, Savion Renewable Energy +2 more |
| Kane | 4 | 209 | CyrusOne, Digital Realty, Batavia DC Corp (Hut 8 Corp subsidiary) +1 more |
| DeKalb | 4 | 4 | Donato Solar, Meta |
| Grundy | 4 | 3,300 | Aligned Data Centers, Equinix, Tract |
| Champaign | 3 | — | ColocationPLUS, NCSA Petascale Computing |
| Sangamon | 3 | 634 | Crusoe, CyrusOne, State of Illinois |
| McLean | 2 | — | Pearl Technology, STL |
| Tazewell | 2 | — | Sungard, Western Hospitality Partners |
| DeWitt | 1 | 1,080 | Constellation Energy |
| Coles | 1 | — | Consolidated Communications |
| Madison | 1 | — | |
| Winnebago | 1 | — | DataPoint Inc. |
| Logan | 1 | 500 | Hut 8 |
| Christian | 1 | 1,000 | Eagle Rock Partners |
| Boone | 1 | — | Microsoft |
| Peoria | 1 | — | Pearl Technology |
| Putnam | 1 | 82 | Sangha Systems |
Financial Exchanges and Cloud Providers Drive Demand
Chicago’s operator landscape is shaped by two forces: financial infrastructure (CME Group and Cboe require ultra-low-latency connectivity) and cloud/enterprise colocation. Equinix, Digital Realty, and QTS anchor the colocation market, while financial-sector-focused operators maintain dedicated facilities near exchange matching engines. The combination creates an unusually dense peering ecosystem for a Midwest city.
| # | Operator | Facilities | Capacity (MW) | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Digital Realty | 14 | 31 | Elk Grove Village, Northlake, Chicago, Franklin Park |
| 2 | CyrusOne | 9 | 791 | Aurora, Wood Dale, Talkington Township, Yorkville |
| 3 | Lumen Technologies | 7 | — | Chicago, Arlington Heights, Broadview, South Holland |
| 4 | Equinix | 6 | 1 | Chicago, Elk Grove Village, Westmont, Minooka |
| 5 | Centersquare | 6 | 10 | Chicago, Lisle, Elk Grove Village |
| 6 | T5 | 5 | 588 | Chicago, Cook County, Northlake, Elk Grove Village |
| 7 | Zayo | 5 | — | Oak Brook, Mount Prospect, Chicago, Brookfield |
| 8 | Microsoft | 5 | — | Northlake, Cherry Valley, Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village |
| 9 | Aligned Data Centers | 5 | 1,336 | Coal City, Northlake, Elk Grove Village |
| 10 | Cogent | 4 | 43 | Chicago, Naperville |
| 11 | Stream Data Centers | 4 | 331 | Chicago, Elk Grove Village |
| 12 | Meta | 3 | — | Malta |
| 13 | Ascent | 3 | — | Chicago, Northlake |
| 14 | Iron Mountain | 3 | 36 | Des Plaines, Chicago, Schaumburg |
| 15 | Colocation America | 3 | 4 | Chicago, Mount Prospect, Elk Grove Village |
| 16 | NTT | 3 | 72 | Itasca, Chicago |
| 17 | US Signal | 3 | — | Aurora, Chicago, Lombard |
| 18 | Sungard | 3 | — | Northbrook, Pekin, Wood Dale |
| 19 | TierPoint | 3 | 5 | Franklin Park, Chicago, Schaumburg |
| 20 | ColocationPLUS | 2 | — | Champaign, Rantoul |
| 21 | Zayo Group | 2 | — | Chicago, Mount Prospect |
| 22 | Western Hospitality Partners | 2 | — | Braidwood, Pekin |
| 23 | Chirisa Technology Parks | 2 | 28 | Volo, Lake Villa |
| 24 | DataBank | 2 | 3 | Mount Prospect, Oak Brook |
| 25 | Element Critical | 2 | 12 | Wood Dale |
Illinois’s Highest-Capacity Data Centers
Grundy County leads Illinois in tracked capacity at 3,300 MW. The historic concentration in downtown Chicago is giving way to suburban hyperscale builds that need more power and space than aging urban buildings can provide, though 350 E. Cermak remains the undisputed interconnection hub.
| # | Facility | Operator | Location | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Project Cardinal Data Center Campus | Pioneer Development LLC | Yorkville, Kendall Co. | 1,800 MW | Permitted |
| 2 | Joliet Technology Center | HW Technology Park (Hillwood Investment Properties / PowerHouse Data Centers) | Joliet, Will Co. | 1,800 MW | Permitted |
| 3 | Aligned Coal City Campus | Aligned Data Centers | Coal City, Grundy Co. | 1,300 MW | Planned |
| 4 | T5 Chicago IV (CHI IV) | T5 Data Centers | Grayslake, Lake Co. | 1,200 MW | Under Construction |
| 5 | Clinton Clean Energy Center | Constellation Energy | Clinton, DeWitt Co. | 1,080 MW | Operational |
| 6 | 8080 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive | Related Digital | Chicago, Cook Co. | 1,000 MW | Planned |
| 7 | Morris Technology Park | Tract | Morris, Grundy Co. | 1,000 MW | Planned |
| 8 | Meridian Technology Park | Eagle Rock Partners | Clarksdale, Christian Co. | 1,000 MW | Planned |
| 9 | Tract Illinois (Morris) | Tract | Morris, Grundy Co. | 1,000 MW | Planned |
| 10 | CyrusOne Talkington Township Campus (Sangamon) | CyrusOne | Talkington Township, Sangamon Co. | 634 MW | Planned |
| 11 | Cloverleaf Infrastructure Troy Campus | Cloverleaf Infrastructure | Troy, Will Co. | 500 MW | Planned |
| 12 | Hut 8 Latham Data Center (Logan) | Hut 8 | Logan, Logan Co. | 500 MW | Planned |
| 13 | T5@Grayslake Campus | T5 | Grayslake, Lake Co. | 480 MW | Under Construction |
| 14 | CloudHQ ORD Campus (Des Plaines) | CloudHQ | Des Plaines, Cook Co. | 300 MW | Under Construction |
| 15 | Stream Chicago II | Stream Data Centers | Elk Grove Village, Cook Co. | 260 MW | Operational |
| 16 | Compass Hoffman Estates Campus | Compass Datacenters | Hoffman Estates, Cook Co. | 200 MW | Under Construction |
| 17 | Prime Chicago Data Center Campus (Elk Grove) | Prime Data Centers | Elk Grove Village, Cook Co. | 180 MW | Under Construction |
| 18 | CyrusOne CHI1-CHI3 (Aurora) | CyrusOne | Aurora, Kane Co. | 109 MW | Operational |
| 19 | Sangha Systems Hennepin (82 River North) | Sangha Systems | Hennepin, Putnam Co. | 82 MW | Operational |
| 20 | Edged Chicago Campus — Aurora (ORD01) | Edged US | Aurora, DuPage Co. | 72 MW | Under Construction |
| 21 | Hut 8 Batavia Data Center | Batavia DC Corp (Hut 8 Corp subsidiary) | Batavia, Kane Co. | 50 MW | Under Construction |
| 22 | Hut 8 Project 4 (Kane) | Hut 8 | Kane County, Kane Co. | 50 MW | Planned |
| 23 | STACK CHI01 | STACK Infrastructure | Elk Grove Village, Cook Co. | 40 MW | Operational |
| 24 | Stream Chicago III (ORDC) | Stream Data Centers | Elk Grove Village, Cook Co. | 40 MW | Under Construction |
| 25 | 711 Ogden Avenue (CloudCenters Lisle) | CloudCenters | Lisle, DuPage Co. | 40 MW | Planned |
Suburban Expansion and Clean Energy Mandates
New development is pushing beyond the traditional Chicago core. Will County and the I-88 corridor are attracting builds that leverage cheaper land while maintaining fiber connectivity to downtown. Illinois’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) creates additional incentives — operators are increasingly pairing new facilities with wind and solar procurement agreements to meet the state’s path toward 100% clean energy by 2050. Illinois paused its data center tax incentive program on July 1, 2026. The 46 facilities in Illinois’s pipeline reflect both organic Chicago demand and the draw of competitive wholesale power through PJM.
Deregulated Power in a Nuclear-Heavy Grid
Illinois is a deregulated electricity market where ComEd (Exelon) delivers power but data centers choose their supplier. Commercial rates in the Chicago area average 8–10¢/kWh, competitive for a major metro. A key advantage: Illinois generates over 50% of its electricity from nuclear, providing reliable baseload generation. Large data centers can also negotiate bilateral power purchase agreements with downstate wind and solar developers, locking in long-term rates below grid prices. PJM market access adds another layer of flexibility. Compare current Illinois electricity rates from competing providers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 350 E. Cermak Road?
350 E. Cermak Road (Lakeside Technology Center) is one of the largest data center buildings in the world, spanning 1.1 million square feet in Chicago’s South Loop. Originally a printing facility for Sears, it was converted into a carrier-neutral data center in the early 2000s and now hosts hundreds of network carriers, cloud providers, and enterprise customers. It is a major internet peering point for the Midwest.
Why is Chicago important for data center connectivity?
Chicago sits at the crossroads of major east-west and north-south fiber routes, making it the primary interconnection hub for the Midwest. Routes connecting New York to the West Coast, and Minneapolis to Dallas, converge in Chicago. The city also hosts major commodity and financial exchanges (CME Group, Cboe) that require ultra-low-latency connectivity.
Does Illinois have retail electricity choice for data centers?
Yes. Illinois deregulated its electricity market in the late 1990s, and commercial customers served by ComEd (Exelon) in northern Illinois can choose among dozens of competitive retail electricity suppliers. Large data centers can also buy power at wholesale through the PJM Interconnection market or sign bilateral contracts directly with generators.
How many data centers are in Illinois?
Illinois has 217 tracked data center facilities across 21 counties. The vast majority are concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area, particularly Cook and DuPage counties.
What role does nuclear energy play in Illinois?
Illinois generates over 50% of its electricity from nuclear power, the highest share of any state. This provides reliable, zero-carbon baseload generation that supports data center operations. Combined with growing wind capacity in central and southern Illinois, the state offers an increasingly clean energy mix.
Which companies operate the most data centers in Illinois?
The largest operators include Equinix, Digital Realty, QTS, CyrusOne, DataBank, and TierPoint. The Chicago market also hosts significant private infrastructure from financial firms that require proximity to the CME Group and other exchanges.
