HydraVault has obtained a construction permit allowing Power Construction Company to begin construction on downtown Chicago's first purpose-built next-generation data centre.

The facility will cater to applications such as AI inferencing, large-scale model training, and low-latency financial trading.

HydraVault expects initial user access to begin in December 2026.

The facility, designed by Gensler, will offer infrastructure for workloads requiring considerable computing power.

It will provide rack densities up to 200kW, supporting advanced servers, including those used for Vera Rubin AI applications.

The site is equipped with 20MW of available power, introducing new capacity for AI-enabled operations not currently available in the downtown Chicago market.

Gensler principal and global critical facilities practice leader Jackson Metcalf said: “We are proud to partner with HydraVault to bring its purpose-built data centre to life in the heart of Chicago.

“Leveraging our deep technical expertise, we worked closely with HydraVault to design a facility that meets the demands of next-generation data centres, setting a new standard for innovation and sustainability.”

HydraVault stated that the data centre will implement a closed-loop waterless cooling system to support energy efficiency.

The projected annual power usage effectiveness rating is 1.19, which the company describes as contributing to both performance and sustainability goals.

HydraVault founder Scott Greenberg said: “We're now ready to begin construction work on this AI factory built for the future. The data centre’s features are a strategic differentiator to firms in AI, machine learning, and financial services in the Chicago area.”

Development of the project involves collaboration with several partners, including Syska Hennessy Group for engineering services, CardiffPoint, and Verity Commercial.

Power Construction, a local company experienced in technical builds, is responsible for managing construction and is expected to engage with the community throughout the process.

Power Construction data structures group managing director Matthew O'Hare said: “This project marks a significant step in bringing purpose-built AI infrastructure to life in the city, leveraging state-of-the-art construction techniques and the expertise of Chicago's union trade organisations.”