Google Becker Minnesota: 300MW $600M Hyperscale AI Campus
Status: Under Development / Multi-Phase Construction Planning | Location: Becker, Sherburne County, MN 55308, USA (Adjacent to Xcel Energy Sherco Station)
Project Overview
Google’s Becker Data Center Campus is a flagship hyperscale cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure development located on more than 300 acres in Becker, Minnesota. Representing an investment of over $600 million, the campus is being developed as part of the broader transformation of the Sherco power station site, supporting Xcel Energy’s transition from coal-fired generation to a cleaner energy future. Designed to provide up to 300 MW of power capacity, the facility will support Google Cloud services, large-scale machine learning, artificial intelligence training, data analytics, and other compute-intensive digital workloads. The campus is engineered to meet Google’s growing demand for high-performance computing while supporting the company’s long-term objective of operating on 24/7 carbon-free energy. To achieve this goal, the development is backed by dedicated regional wind and solar power purchase agreements that help match electricity consumption with renewable energy generation. The data center also incorporates advanced high-density liquid cooling technologies to efficiently manage the thermal demands of modern AI processors and GPU-based computing infrastructure, enabling higher rack densities while improving overall energy efficiency. Located within one of the Midwest’s emerging digital infrastructure corridors, the Becker campus combines large-scale renewable power integration, resilient utility infrastructure, and AI-optimized design. The project strengthens Google’s expanding global cloud network while supporting sustainable hyperscale infrastructure capable of meeting the increasing demand for next-generation artificial intelligence and cloud computing services.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Project Name | Google Becker Minnesota: 300MW $600M Hyperscale AI Campus |
| Location | Becker, Sherburne County, MN 55308, USA (Adjacent to Xcel Energy Sherco Station) |
| Status | Under Development / Multi-Phase Construction Planning |
| Commissioning | Phase 1 Go-Live Target: 2026–2027 |
| Total IT Load | ~240 MW Critical IT Capacity |
| Total Capacity | 300 MW Utility Power Capacity across 300+ acre campus |
| Tier Level | Tier III+ / Tier IV Equivalent (Google Hyperscale Custom Architecture) |
| Project Type | Greenfield Hyperscale Cloud & AI Compute Campus |
City Profile
| Header | Details |
|---|
| City Name | Becker |
| Population | 5,000 |
| Urban Agglomeration | ~4.1 million (Minneapolis–Saint Paul Metropolitan Area) |
| City GDP | Not reported separately; part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan economy (approx. USD 320 billion) |
| Per Capita Income | ~USD 48,000 |
| City Tier | Tier 3 – Regional Energy & Industrial Hub |
| Key Strengths | Strategic location along U.S. Highway 10; strong electric power infrastructure; home to the Sherburne County (Sherco) Energy Center; growing renewable energy investments; industrial development opportunities; proximity to Minneapolis–Saint Paul; business-friendly environment; increasing interest in large-scale data center and advanced manufacturing projects. |
Companies Involved
| Header | Details |
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| Developer / Operator | Google |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | Xcel Energy (Electric Utility Partner) & State of Minnesota DEED |
| Construction Contractor | Mortenson Construction / Specialized Industrial EPC Partners |
| MEP Engineering | Google Global Infrastructure Engineering Team |
| Network Connectivity | Redundant high-capacity dark fiber paths connecting directly to Minneapolis/St. Paul internet exchange hubs and transcontinental long-haul networks. |
| Power Infrastructure | Direct utility interconnection supplied by Xcel Energy leveraging Sherco substation transmission lines, backed by 2N static UPS systems and industrial backup generators. |
Technical Specifications
| Header | Details |
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| Power Capacity | 300 MW Utility Power Interconnection |
| UPS Redundancy | High-efficiency custom Google Distributed / Block-Redundant UPS architecture |
| Cooling System | Closed-loop liquid cooling, Direct-to-Chip (DTC) cooling manifolds, and water-neutral indirect evaporative cooling systems. |
| Connectivity | Carrier-neutral access with multi-conduit optical fiber entry points and ultra-low latency cloud pathways. |
| PUE Target | < 1.12 (Aligned with Google global campus average efficiency targets) |
| Energy Mix | 100% matched clean energy portfolio powered by dedicated Upper Midwest wind and solar PPAs via Xcel Energy. |
Milestones
| Header | Details |
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| Announcement | Q1 2019 (Project Honeycomb Initial Filing) |
| Construction Start | 2024–2025 |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | 2026–2027 |
| Full Buildout | 2028–2029 (Multi-building campus development) |
Investment Details
| Header | Details |
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| Total Investment | $600,000,000+ USD (Initial Phase Commitment) |
| Funding | Alphabet Inc. corporate capital expenditures (CapEx) |