Chicago is already a global hub for finance and technology, and now it’s poised to become a powerhouse for artificial intelligence (AI). HydraVault is leading the charge with the announcement of Chicago’s first purpose-built downtown AI data center. This isn’t just another data center, it’s a facility engineered from the ground up for the extreme demands of AI, machine learning (ML), and ultra-low latency financial trading.
Designed for the Next Generation of Compute
The downtown Chicago facility is strategically located in direct proximity to the city’s primary fiber interconnects. This provides sub-millisecond latency to 350 East Cermak, a major hub for financial trading. For high-performance computing, this connectivity offers a rare competitive advantage, reducing operational costs and friction.
As AI workloads continue to skyrocket, projected to account for 70% of total data center demand by 2030, the need for specialized infrastructure is critical. The new HydraVault facility is designed to handle a high level of power density with up to 200kW per rack, well above the industry average of 15-20kW.
Construction is set to begin in late Fall 2025 and user buildouts are anticipated in late 2026.
“Training, inferencing, financial services, and medical research, among other industries, are accelerating faster than the infrastructure designed to support them,” says Scott D. Greenberg, Founder of HydraVault. “We’ve designed – and will build – a city center AI factory for the future. The power density per square foot of building area in HydraVault, combined with the most advanced components demanded by the next generations of chip technology, makes HydraVault the definitive next-generation data center.”
Building with Sustainability and Efficiency
With a total power capacity of 20MW, this data center integrates advanced, closed-loop liquid cooling systems. Its cooling system is 40% more energy-efficient than traditional air cooling, contributing to an industry-leading Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.19. This makes it a smart choice for organizations looking to maximize both performance and sustainability.
In addition to its technical capabilities, the facility is designed to meet Tier 3 specifications for reliability and will be built with SOC 1 and SOC 2 compliance specifications and PCI readiness.
Learn more about how HydraVault’s AI-optimized GPU clusters can transform operations at HydraVault.com.
