LightEdge Ames Edge Colocation Data Center Iowa 25MW Facility

Status: Proposed / Land Lease & Municipal Approval   |   Location: Aviation Way (10.86-Acre City Airport Parcel), West of Sigler Companies, Ames, IA 50010, USA

Project Overview

The LightEdge Ames Edge Colocation Data Center is a proposed $100+ million high-density edge colocation facility in Ames, Iowa, designed to provide up to 25 MW of critical power for GPU-intensive computing, enterprise cloud and other latency-sensitive workloads. Developed by Des Moines-based LightEdge Solutions, the project is planned on a 10.86-acre site near Ames Municipal Airport on Aviation Way, with a proposed 100,000-square-foot data center building supporting phased growth toward full capacity. Its combination of substantial power availability and edge positioning makes the facility particularly relevant to organizations deploying high-density GPUs, artificial intelligence applications, hybrid cloud environments and regional edge services. The development is engineered to Tier III standards, supporting a resilient infrastructure model with concurrently maintainable systems designed for enterprise and mission-critical operations. Compliance with SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, ISO 27001 and HITRUST standards further strengthens the facility's positioning for organizations handling sensitive, regulated or business-critical workloads. As a carrier-neutral data center, the site is intended to provide customers with access to multiple connectivity providers rather than depending on a single telecommunications network. Its location near the Ames Municipal Airport and planned low-latency optical connections to regional Iowa carrier networks provide an important connectivity advantage for businesses requiring rapid data transfer between edge infrastructure, enterprise facilities and wider cloud environments. The facility's high-density design is particularly significant as AI and GPU workloads increase rack power requirements and place greater demands on data center electrical and cooling infrastructure. By combining 25 MW of planned critical power, a 100,000-square-foot footprint, Tier III design, extensive compliance credentials, carrier-neutral connectivity and GPU-ready infrastructure, the LightEdge Ames development represents a significant addition to Iowa's edge and colocation market. The project is positioned to serve enterprises seeking resilient, secure and scalable infrastructure closer to regional users while supporting the growing convergence of AI, cloud and edge computing.

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