Joliet Greenlights $20B Data Center, Illinois' Largest on 795 Acres

JOLIET, Ill. — The Joliet City Council has approved the conditional annexation of 795 acres of east-side farmland, clearing the path for a $20 billion data center campus that would dwarf all others in Illinois. Dubbed the largest proposed data center in the state, the development cleared a key hurdle on March 19, with backers eyeing rapid construction amid surging demand for AI and cloud computing facilities. Hundreds of residents packed public hearings, voicing concerns over the project's massive water and electricity needs alongside its potential to create about 10,000 construction jobs but far fewer permanent roles.

The expansive campus targets Joliet's east side, transforming prime farmland into a high-tech hub just 45 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. While the lead developer remains unnamed in approvals, the scale rivals regional trends, following a string of data center proposals across the Great Lakes. Local officials hail it as a boost to Illinois infrastructure, aligning with ComEd's power grid expansions to support data-intensive operations.

Elsewhere in the Chicago area, smaller but significant projects advance, including the HydraVault AI data center at 2538 S. Wabash Ave. in the Near South Side. This 70,000-square-foot facility, designed by Gensler with Power Construction, packs 20 megawatts of power and up to 200 kilowatts per rack using hybrid liquid-air cooling. Fully approved and partially permitted, construction starts before year-end, with early user access slated for December 2026—underscoring Illinois' growing role in the data center race.