The Chicago data center market will soon enter a new era when it comes to next-generation digital infrastructure. The Chicago data center market is facing a record-low vacancy rate of 1.9%, but the demand for more high-density capacity is rapidly increasing.
HydraVault is directly addressing this critical supply imbalance. The company announced it has secured a construction permit, allowing Power Construction Company to immediately commence work on downtown Chicago’s first purpose-built, next-generation data center. The Gensler-designed facility is explicitly engineered for high-performance computing, including AI inferencing, large-scale model training, and ultra-low latency financial trading.
This project will deliver 20MW of facility power, providing a new block of AI-enabled white space in the downtown core. The Tier 3 aligned facility is built to handle unprecedented workloads, offering a density of 200kW per rack, making it capable of accommodating the most powerful Vera Rubin AI servers.
“We’re now ready to begin construction work on this AI factory built for the future. Our remarkable downtown Chicago location is adjacent to a dense and diverse fiber network that enables the lowest possible latency to 350 Cermak combined with a superior, energy efficient design. The data center’s features are a strategic differentiator to firms in AI, machine learning, and financial services in the Chicago area.” – Scott D. Greenberg, Founder of HydraVault
HydraVault and its partners have prioritized sustainability. The design implements a closed-loop waterless cooling system, aiming for an exceptional annual Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.19. This efficiency provides a critical dual advantage for organizations focused on both maximizing AI performance and minimizing environmental impact.
Early user access to the cutting-edge facility is expected in December 2026.
The HydraVault team is attending NVIDIA GTC in Washington, D.C. October 28-29, 2025. If you’d like to connect with the team at the conference, reach out directly on LinkedIn.
