ABB POWERS NEXT-GEN AI DATA CENTRE AT NORTH DAKOTA’S POLARIS FORGE 2

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 (Bernama) -- ABB has expanded its partnership with Applied Digital to supply advanced medium-voltage power systems for the company’s second AI Factory campus in North Dakota, United States (US).

According to ABB in a statement, the 300-megawatt (MW) Polaris Forge 2 campus near Harwood is set to come online in 2026 and 2027, with future expansion planned.

The collaboration introduces a new power architecture designed for large-scale, artificial intelligence (AI)-ready data centres.

ABB Smart Power President, Massimiliano Cifalitti noted that the partnership enables “higher efficiency, performance, and reliability, along with lower costs and faster time to market” for large-scale AI facilities.

Meanwhile, Applied Digital Chief Development Officer, Todd Gale said Polaris Forge 2 represents the next evolution of our AI Factory model with high-performance, energy-efficient infrastructure.

ABB will provide low- and medium-voltage electrical systems, leveraging its HiPerGuard medium-voltage Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) technology and advanced switchgear to enhance efficiency and scalability.

Applied Digital has already leased the first 200 MW of Polaris Forge 2 to a US-based hyperscaler. The company’s initial 400 MW Polaris Forge 1 campus, launched with ABB in 2025 at Ellendale, North Dakota, set the benchmark for AI-focused data centre power design.

Moving from low-voltage to medium-voltage architecture using HiPerGuard allows data centres to scale in 25 MW blocks, reduce cabling, and improve reliability—all while maintaining industry-leading energy efficiency.

ABB, a global leader in electrification and automation with around 110,000 employees, has a 140-year history of delivering high-performance, sustainable industrial solutions worldwide.

-- BERNAMA