T5 Chicago West Data Center North Aurora: Hyperscale & Enterprise Hub in Illinois
Status: Fully Operational Hyperscale & Enterprise Facility | Location: 1000 Ice Cream Dr, North Aurora, IL 60542, United States
Project Overview
T5@Chicago West is a high-availability hyperscale and enterprise colocation data center strategically located on a 15-acre master-planned campus at 1000 Ice Cream Drive in North Aurora, Illinois. Positioned along the western technology corridor of the Greater Chicago metropolitan market, the facility provides an ideal location for enterprises, cloud providers, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and technology companies seeking resilient, scalable, and low-latency digital infrastructure outside Chicago's urban core. The data center delivers approximately 12 MW of critical IT capacity across a 164,000 sq ft gross facility footprint, offering flexible wholesale and build-to-suit colocation environments capable of supporting mission-critical enterprise applications, cloud platforms, disaster recovery solutions, artificial intelligence (AI), and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. Engineered for exceptional resilience, the facility features an EF-5 tornado-resistant reinforced concrete structure designed to withstand some of the most severe weather conditions in the Midwest while ensuring uninterrupted operations. Its robust infrastructure incorporates fully redundant 2N electrical architecture, resilient utility feeds, advanced UPS systems, standby diesel generators, and fault-tolerant power distribution that enable continuous service availability during maintenance activities or unexpected power events. Precision cooling systems maintain optimal environmental conditions for high-density IT deployments while maximizing energy efficiency and operational performance. Comprehensive security measures, including multi-layer physical access controls, biometric authentication, 24/7 surveillance, environmental monitoring, and advanced fire detection and suppression systems, protect customer assets and critical infrastructure. Through diverse dark fiber connectivity to downtown Chicago's major carrier ecosystem, including the renowned 350 E Cermak telecommunications hub, T5@Chicago West provides low-latency access to leading network providers, cloud platforms, internet exchanges, and enterprise connectivity services. The facility supports hybrid cloud integration, business continuity, disaster recovery, and private network deployments, making it a strategic digital infrastructure asset for organizations requiring secure, highly resilient, and future-ready colocation services within one of North America's most important data center markets.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Project Name | T5 Chicago West Data Center North Aurora: Hyperscale & Enterprise Hub in Illinois |
| Location | 1000 Ice Cream Dr, North Aurora, IL 60542, United States |
| Status | Fully Operational Hyperscale & Enterprise Facility |
| Commissioning | Operational (Acquired & Expanded / Formerly Magnetik) |
| Total IT Load | 12 MW Critical IT Load (Scalable to 20 MW+ Total Capacity) |
| Total Capacity | 164,000 sq ft (~15,236 m²) gross facility footprint on a 15-acre campus |
| Tier Level | Tier III Equivalent Fault-Tolerant Design / ISO 27001, SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II, PCI-DSS Compliant |
| Project Type | Purpose-Built Multi-Tenant Enterprise & Hyperscale Colocation Hub |
City Profile
| Header | Details |
|---|
| City Name | Chicago |
| Population | ~2.7 million |
| Urban Agglomeration | ~9.4 million (Chicago Metropolitan Area) |
| City GDP | ~USD 900+ billion (Chicago metropolitan economy) |
| Per Capita Income | ~USD 75,000 |
| City Tier | Tier 1 – Global Business, Financial & Technology Hub |
| Key Strengths | Third-largest city in the United States; major financial and commercial center; strong technology ecosystem; leading transportation and logistics hub; extensive fiber connectivity; major internet exchange location; growing data center market; strong cloud infrastructure presence; diverse economy across finance, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and technology; strategic central U.S. location. |
Companies Involved
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Developer / Operator | T5 Data Centers |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | ComEd (Commonwealth Edison) Utility Network & Village of North Aurora Municipal Authorities |
| Construction Contractor | T5 Construction Services (T5CS) / Specialized Mission-Critical EPC Partners |
| MEP Engineering | T5 Facilities Management & In-House Global Technical Operations Teams |
| Network Connectivity | Carrier-neutral facility featuring subterranean path-diverse fiber entrance vaults, dual Meet-Me-Rooms (MMRs), direct dark fiber backhaul to 350 E Cermak (Chicago), and connections to major carriers (AT&T, Comcast, Zayo, Crown Castle). |
| Power Infrastructure | Dual 34.5kV high-voltage utility feeds from ComEd via dual substations, static 2N / Block Redundant uninterruptible power supply (UPS) configurations, automated switchgear, and multi-megawatt standby emergency diesel generator arrays with 48+ hour on-site fuel autonomy. |
Technical Specifications
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Power Capacity | 12 MW Critical IT Power Capacity (Scalable to 20 MW Total Utility Infrastructure) |
| UPS Redundancy | 2N Static UPS Architecture |
| Cooling System | Closed-loop chilled water cooling plant with N+2 redundancy, air-side economizers for extensive free-cooling hours, hot/cold aisle containment, and automated BMS environmental controls. |
| Connectivity | Proprietary dark fiber rings providing low-latency access to major Chicago internet exchanges, hyperscale cloud entry points, and enterprise network ecosystems. |
| PUE Target | < 1.28 Annualized Operational Design PUE |
| Energy Mix | ComEd utility power integrated with Illinois clean energy programs and customer-selected renewable energy offsets (RECs). |
Milestones
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Announcement | 2016–2017 |
| Construction Start | 2017 |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | Operational |
| Full Buildout | Fully Operational Active Facility |
Investment Details
| Header | Details |
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| Total Investment | Estimated $120,000,000 USD to $150,000,000 USD Facility Capital Investment |
| Funding | Corporate Capital & Infrastructure Investment Funds (T5 Data Centers) |