Data center tracker
Chicago data center project tracker
Data center projects in the Chicago area and nearby Illinois counties that are proposed, approved, under construction, stalled or cancelled. Each row links to the public record or news report its stage comes from. Last checked October 23, 2026.
By Czarina Tabayoyong, Founder, Critical Path Hiring
Last reviewed · First published · Next update
Reviewed as projects move between stages.
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Projects
Showing 12 of 12 projects
| Project | Developer | County | Size reported | Stage | Latest status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T5 Chicago IV (Cornerstone business park) | T5 Data Centers | Lake (Grayslake) | 472 acres; up to 18 buildings, about 10.1 million sq ft; first building about 800,000 sq ft; expected $18 billion investment | Under construction | Village approvals granted September 2024 to May 2025; building permit for the first building issued September 2026; opponents' lawsuit pending | dailyherald.com |
| Project Cardinal | Pioneer | Kendall (Yorkville) | 1,000 acres | Approved | City council gave final approval to annexation, development and utility agreements and rezoning in March 2026; one no vote; approval clears the way for the developer to close on the land and begin construction | wspynews.com |
| Project Vector | Edged (Endeavour Energy) | DeKalb (DeKalb) | About 560 acres; four data center buildings and two substations; megawatts not stated | Approved | City council unanimously approved the project in December 2025; incentives include a county enterprise zone property tax abatement, a state enterprise zone benefit and a city electricity tax incentive | shawlocal.com |
| Equinix Minooka campus | Equinix | Minooka (county not stated in source) | About 300 acres; seven buildings; $6 billion | Approved | Announced April 2026; report says construction starts in 2027; partial opening targeted 2028 and full opening 2031 | shawlocal.com |
| Batavia data center (1780 Hubbard Ave.) | Hut 8 Corp. (through Batavia DC Corp.) | Kane (Batavia) | 50 MW; about 120,000 sq ft; about $500 million | Proposed | City council approved an electricity agreement 12 to 1 in July 2025; water agreement and design review still needed | dailyherald.com |
| Beverly Road and Route 72 parcel (Plote property) | Plote Properties | Kane (East Dundee) | 74 acres, part of a 253-acre Plote property; megawatts not stated | Proposed | Annexation talks in August 2026 included a data center as a possible future use; no immediate construction plans | dailyherald.com |
| Joliet Technology Center | PowerHouse Hillwood Holding (PowerHouse Data Centers and Hillwood) | Will (Joliet) | 795 acres; 24 buildings; 1.8 GW; about $20 billion | Stalled | City council approved annexation 8 to 1 in March 2026; resident group filed suit in May 2026 asking the court to void the approval; no ruling reported; first sub-campus slated for completion in 2028 | shawlocal.com |
| Naperville data center (Naperville and Warrenville roads) | Karis Critical | DuPage (Naperville) | 145,000 sq ft; 36 MW | Cancelled | City council rejected the proposal 6 to 1 in January 2026; developer said it is assessing options and evaluating other sites in the region | bisnow.com |
| Barrington Hills data center (Penny Road) | Brennan Investment Group | Barrington Hills (county not stated in source) | $2 billion investment; megawatts and square footage not stated | Cancelled | Developer withdrew its application after local opposition in February 2026; planned February 2 plan commission presentation cancelled; village considers the matter closed | datacenterdynamics.com |
| Lisle data center (711 Ogden Ave.) | Cloud Centers LLC | DuPage (Lisle) | 256,000 sq ft; 50 MW | Cancelled | Public meeting postponed in January 2026 after crowd exceeded room capacity; developer withdrew its application in March 2026; village exploring other redevelopment options for the site | patch.com |
| Project Kilo (Kenyon Road and Route 25) | White Rose Partners | Kane (South Elgin) | 200,000 sq ft on 20 acres | Cancelled | Village board unanimously approved a resolution stating intent to deny annexation for a data center and voted down the special use permit in August 2026; developer said all options are on the table, including a possible lawsuit | dailyherald.com |
| Meyer property data center (near Caledonia subdivision) | Not named in the cited report | Kendall (Yorkville) | Not stated | Cancelled | City council tabled the rezoning in March 2026; developer withdrew the petition in April 2026 after talks showed insufficient council support | wspynews.com |
Hiring by stage
Each project's stage comes from its latest source. The hiring column shows who employers usually hire at that stage.
| Stage | Hiring |
|---|---|
| Under construction | Electricians, superintendents and MEP coordinators, plus commissioning teams as buildings near completion |
| Approved | Preconstruction and design roles first, then construction crews once power dates firm up |
| Proposed | No hiring yet |
| Stalled or cancelled | None |
See the Chicago market page and the hiring timeline by build stage. We also track projects in Northern Virginia, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix, Hillsboro, Oregon, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, Columbus and Atlanta. Totals for every market are on the U.S. data center project tracker.
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