Where are data centers being proposed in Minnesota? We are tracking them.

*This directory was updated on July 6, 2026.

Data centers face heavy regulations in Minnesota–32 related policies to be exact–like environmental and energy requirements and fees for large-scale operations. But, this isn’t stopping corporations from trying to build them.

Right now there are 29 data centers in some stage of development in the state, with 15 already operational and 14 planned. Minnesotans are successfully pushing back on new proposals statewide.

Below are some of the biggest Minnesota data center proposals that have been in the works over the last year and where they stand today.

Cannon Falls: Ongoing

Tract is building the massive seven-story Cannon Falls Technology Park. Approximately 1.2-1.3 million square feet, on a piece of land bought for $15.2 million, the center will take about 10 years to build and will provide over 10,000 construction jobs during that time, according to Tract. The city administrator adds that it will create 275 long-term jobs with a six-figure average salary.

The conditional use permit and development agreement were signed last year. Some local residents have raised general concerns about water and electricity usage, and a Facebook group is trying to get answers to some of those outstanding questions.

Elk River: Ongoing

IronGate Data Centers wants to build the Elk River Data Center, a 60,000-square-foot building that will require 33 megawatts of power to run. Elk River Municipal Utilities estimates it will increase total energy usage by 50-60%, and the center would be located less than 1,000 feet away from Meadowvale Elementary School. The plan says it will create 100 construction jobs over 6-9 months, with a maximum of 10 employees on-site after construction is over.

Just as the residents of many Minnesota communities are raising concerns about a data center’s negative impacts on their towns, Elk River residents are doing the same. Many residents asked questions about noise, the impact on utilities, and water usage at a May 29 City Council meeting. The next public hearing is July 6, where the City Council will discuss an ordinance amendment and conditional use permit for the center.

Hermantown: Ongoing

Google is planning to build a data center in Hermantown, a Duluth suburb dubbed “Project Loon.” Costing $2 billion and covering 1.8 million square feet, the city says construction will create hundreds of jobs over the 8-10-year building window, and there will be “at least 40 full-time positions” initially, and over 100 when fully built. Hermantown also claims an estimated $70 million in property tax relief, and Google is offering to pay $130 million to extend utilities and infrastructure to the site.

Hermantown residents are strongly against the data center, launching an entire website as part of their campaign to shut down the proposal and even suing to try and stop the proposal. The location is privately-owned and houses hundreds of families. The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and a citizen group have filed lawsuits to prevent construction, which the City Council is still dealing with. As of May 4, a City Council vote to give tax breaks to the data center was tabled for more public comment.

UPDATE: On June 24, Google held a town hall to ease residents’ concerns, but MPR reports many people who participated in the event didn’t feel reassured leaving that night. A second public comment period is open now, running June 12-July 16, and is focusing on the draft environmental review and mitigation plan.

Monticello: Ongoing

Monticello in Wright County has two active data center proposals at hand.

The developer Scannell wants to build the Monticello Data Center in 2027, a 1.3-million-square-foot building that would use 150 megawatts of power. Frattalone Companies wants to build the separate Monticello Tech Park, which could cost up to $5 billion and would cover 3 million square feet.

On April 27, the City Council voted to establish a Data Center Planned Unit Development ordinance (DCPUD), putting strict enforcement on district rezoning and permit processes. The public is still unhappy with both the proposals. A petition to stop any data center building in the city was signed over 2,400 times, and a Facebook group dedicated to discussion and advocacy around the issue has attracted over 1,600 members.

On May 19, the City of Monticello enacted a one-year moratorium on data centers. But, this only applies to new data center applications and township land, meaning the two active proposals can still continue. The city has yet to see a formal land application from either proposing company.

UPDATE: Monticello Tech officials, for the Frattalone Companies data center proposal, is looking at a July application “for rezoning to a Data Center Planned Unit Development (DCPUD) district, along with a preliminary plat and a conditional use permit.” The City says an application hasn’t been submitted yet. This application comes as the lawsuit by Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy continues. However, the pre-trial conference is set for December 29, leaving a lot of time for changes to occur on both sides.

Rosemount: Ongoing

Meta is building the Rosemount Data Center, an $800 million project spanning 715,000 square feet in Dakota County, south of the Twin Cities The company says the project will produce 1,000 construction jobs and 100 operational jobs once completed. Meta claims the center will support local schools and nonprofits, prioritize sustainability, and minimize water use. The site will use 308 megawatts of renewable energy to “optimize AI workloads and help people connect, find communities, and grow their businesses.”

Rosemount residents opposed to the project tried to postpone it, but it didn’t work out as planned. First, they took to Rosemount’s City Council on March 3 to ask that the process be paused. The council took no action. On April 21, the council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium to pause new data center operations and “complete further studies and evaluations,” but this doesn’t apply to the Meta center already under construction.

UPDATE: The Rosemount Data Center construction is nearly complete, set to finish later this summer.

Faribault: Paused

Archer Data Centers is planning to build the Archer: Minneapolis Campus center just 45 minutes away from the Twin Cities in Rice County. It would entail a 500,000-square-foot facility with an energy capacity of 120 megawatts. For all of its centers, Archer promotes them as having “AI-ready power densities” and “flexible cooling strategies,” with a “commitment to sustainability.”

The reason this center is on hold is because the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the city didn’t have enough information on how the facility would affect residents. In August 2025, the City Council approved an environmental assessment worksheet for the project, moving it forward. But, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy filed an appeal, saying Faribault wasn’t told in-depth what the center would do to the community. Residents had actually been opposing the center since last year as well.

Pine Island: Paused

Google is planning to build Project Skyway just north of Rochester. The tech giant says the data center will add 1,900 megawatts of clean energy to the regional grid, initially cover 88 acres, and ultimately span across 482 acres of land. The company adds that it will pay $20 million in road and utility upgrades, create 100 permanent operational jobs for the initial project, and will create “tens of millions of dollars in new property tax revenue.”

Residents have a long list of concerns when it comes to the data center. A Facebook group called Stop the Pine Island Data Center was born to organize against the “AI bubble” and has over 1,700 members.

In October 2025, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy sued the City of Pine Island and the developer in a push to pause the project, which had been set to start construction in July 2026. In late May of this year, a Goodhue County judge granted a temporary restraining order to stop the developers from beginning construction.

UPDATE: A new hearing in the MCEA’s lawsuit against the City is scheduled for July 23.

Nobles County: Rejected

Geronimo Power wanted to build the Nobles County Data Center in southwestern Minnesota in 2030. Covering 2.5 million square feet with a price tag of $4 billion, the company says it would create over 1,000 construction and 85 permanent jobs. Using 400 megawatts of power, Geronimo claims it would create millions in property tax revenue for the county, and $10 million would be donated to a dedicated local charitable fund, distributed over the first 20 years of operation.

The county board of commissioners shut it down on April 21 in a 3-2 vote, preventing any data centers from being built in agricultural preservation districts. Nobles County is known for being a farming county. Geronimo says it will “consider alternative options.”

North Mankato: Rejected

Oppidan Investment Company wanted to build a data center in North Mankato, but after a few months the company was “no longer interested” and withdrew its proposal before submitting an application. The company didn’t provide any specifics, like size, location, or utility demands to the city.

The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy can also be credited with helping shut down the proposal, as it sued the city in August 2025, asking for an environmental review. Ultimately, MCEA voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit when the proposal vanished.

North Mankato is now looking at passing a one-year data center moratorium, like many other Minnesota cities have done this year.