Harwood Looks at Ellendale as Example of Applied Digital AI Data Center

Residents of both cities have expressed objections to the tech company's inroads; but while Ellendale's mayor says the facilities have reversed population loss, Harwood is growing on its own, leaving many to wonder if it will really benefit the community.

ELLENDALE and HARWOOD, N.D. (KVRR) – Ellendale Mayor Don Flaherty has lived in the city for almost three decades.

He says he saw the deleterious effects of population loss firsthand.

So, when tech company Applied Digital began buying up land for blockchain facilities and data centers – he welcomed them with open arms.

“With this happening, I can honestly see that Ellendale is going to be a thriving community into the next century, where I couldn’t have said that to you five years ago,” he said.

This facility is similar to what residents of Harwood will be seeing constructed soon after the City Council gave the a-ok to Applied Digital’s proposal.

And many of those residents are, to say the least, displeased.

“I don’t think it’s a way to promote transparency and clarity if you say you’re going to do something at one point where there is public comment, and then you quickly move it to another point where there is no public comment,” said Grace Brennan in the aftermath of the special city council meeting that greenlit the Applied Digital proposal.

Applied Digital says that concerns over environmental impact are unfounded.

“The water consumption is equivalent to that of about a residential house,” said Todd Gale, Chief Development Officer for Applied Digital.

As a bedroom community of Fargo, Harwood hasn’t seen the population loss that Ellendale has, but Applied Digital insists there are other benefits to the facility.

Time will tell if the people of Harwood come to agree with that assessment.

The facility is named Polaris Forge 2 and will take up 900 acres in Harwood.

It’s expected to cost $3 billion, and construction should begin later this month.