2538 S. Wabash AI data center
Data center project in Chicago, Illinois
2538 S. Wabash AI data center is a data center project in Chicago, Illinois, under construction, developed by HydraVault, with a stated size of 20 MW. Last reported October 14, 2026, from 4 sources.
- Status
- Under construction
- Developer
- HydraVault
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois
- Stated size
- 20 MW
- Stated investment
- $270M
- Last reported
- October 14, 2026
- Sources
- 4 sources
- Other companies on the job
- 4 companies named, on Ultra
Is it moving?
Permits and filings
- Administrative adjustment (minor change) from esports arena to data centerZoning · Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Zoning Division · Approvedward03chicago.com ↗
- Second administrative adjustment reducing truck loading baysZoning · Chicago Department of Planning and Development · Approvedward03chicago.com ↗
- Building permitBuilding permit · Approvedward03chicago.com ↗
- Air Pollution Control Permit for diesel generatorsAir permit · Chicago Department of Environment · Status not statedward03chicago.com ↗
- Environmental noise studyEnvironmental review · 2401018 · Status not stated · December 20, 2024ward03chicago.com ↗
- Qualitative Air Quality Impact AssessmentEnvironmental review · CPP 20972 · Status not statedward03chicago.com ↗
What the sources say
Reported
“The project, branded as HydraVault, is billed as a purpose-built downtown data hub”
Status
“has already started foundation work”
Size
“wired for up to 20 megawatts of supply power”
Reported
“A full building permit has been issued for a new data center purpose-built to be AI-ready. Located at 2538 S. Wabash”
Status
“A full building permit has been issued for a new data center purpose-built to be AI-ready.”
Size
“the two-story, 20-megawatt facility will be engineered for next-generation computing”
Reported
“Construction is underway on HydraVault’s new 20-megawatt data center in Chicago’s South Loop”
Status
“Construction is underway on HydraVault’s new 20-megawatt data center”
Square footage
76,000 SF
Gross site area
87,450 sf
Capacity
10 MW
Generators
7 backup generators
Cooling
closed-loop cooling system
Construction start
early 2026
Completion
August 2027
Reports behind this page
- HydraVault Breaks Ground in South Loop - Chicago · hoodline.com, March 12, 2026
- Full building permit issued for AI data center project · chicago.urbanize.city, February 15, 2026
- Report from dcnreport.com · dcnreport.com, February 5, 2026
What the full file adds
- General contractor1 named
- Electrical contractorOpen: not named yet
- Mechanical contractorOpen: not named yet
- Engineering and commissioning1 named
- Power and cooling equipmentOpen: not named yet
- Utility and power supplyOpen: not named yet
- TenantOpen: not named yet
- Investors and lendersOpen: not named yet
- Named builders, suppliers and partners4 companies named on this job besides the developer, each with its source.Ultra
- Buying stage by tradeWhen the electrical, mechanical and other trade work on this job is likely to be bought.Ultra
- ContactsSenior people at the companies on this job, where public pages name them.Ultra
- Who pays whom1 deal on file: equity, loans, leases, power or equipment, each with its source.Ultra
- Video and satellite readingsHow busy the site looks, wherever public drone or news footage or a satellite image of it is found.Ultra
- Spezia's read of the projectIts construction phase, how likely it is to be built and what is holding it back.Ultra
- AlertsAn email the day this project moves.Ultra
A free account opens every project file 3 days a month. Ultra opens it every day, $299 a month.
What Ultra opens on every project
- Find the jobs worth a call. Build-out overview, Projects list and filters, Your territory, Data center map, Demand by quarter, Geography, Trends.
- Know who to call, and when. Project file, Buying stage and contacts, Company dossiers and directory, Ecosystem.
- Prove a project is real and moving. Readiness signs, Project file filings, FAA crane filings, EPA air and stormwater permits, Site videos, Satellite readings.
- Power and the grid. On-site power plants, Planned power plants, Grid connection queues, Power gap by state.
- Found money, and who pays. Found money, Who funds the build-out.
- Get the data into your tools. Excel and CSV downloads, REST API, Data center tools in your AI agent.
- Stay on top of it. What changed, Build-out news, Project Watch and the weekly roundup, Same-day watch alerts.
Other data centers in Chicago and Illinois
- Edged Chicago campusAnnouncedSame townChicagoEdgedSize not stated
- Joliet Technology CenterApprovedJolietPowerHouse Data Centers1.8 GW
- Compass Datacenters Hoffman Estates campusUnder constructionHoffman EstatesCompass Datacenters500 MW
- CyrusOne data centerApprovedYorkvilleCyrusOne500 MW
- CyrusOne CHI-11 Data Center CampusUnder constructionYorkvilleCyrusOne480 MW
- CyrusOne Yorkville Technology Campus (CHI-11)Under constructionYorkvilleCyrusOneSize not stated
Get every active project in Illinois.
Tell us what you sell. You get the approved and under-construction projects in Illinois and the states you add, with their stage and size, and a short walkthrough of the full files if it fits. No card.