The City of Cedar Rapids and Alliant Energy have officially confirmed QTS is the developer behind a data center development in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
QTS has also added the Cedar Rapids development to its website portfolio.
Blackstone-owned QTS was reported to be behind the development along 76th Avenue SW, west of Edgewood Road SW, last week.
The data center campus represents a $750 million investment and will be located on 612 acres of the 1,391-acre Big Cedar Industrial Center, a commercial park owned by Alliant Energy.
The campus will use a waterless cooling system, though other specifications and details have not been shared.
Construction is expected to begin in the next three years.
As part of the agreement between the city and QTS, the latter will contribute up to $18 million over the next 20 years to the City of Cedar Rapids-owned Community Betterment Fund. QTS will receive a 20-year property tax rebate alongside other benefits.
“QTS’ arrival underscores Cedar Rapids’ momentum as a center for growth and opportunity,” said Cedar Rapids mayor Tiffany O’Donnell. “With a multi-million dollar commitment to our Community Betterment Fund, this investment brings high-quality jobs, drives economic progress, and strengthens our local initiatives and nonprofits.”
Mayuri Farlinger, president of Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company, added: “We are excited to welcome QTS to Cedar Rapids and proud to support their investment in the region. As a trusted energy partner, we are committed to providing cost-effective power to fuel their operations, while also fostering economic growth for the communities we serve.”
News of a 560-acre data center campus in Cedar Rapids surfaced in September 2024. Each development phase will include one or more data center building, each approximately 300,000-1.4 million square feet (27,870-130,065 sqm) in size.
Cedar Rapids, in Linn County, is located around 120 miles east of Des Moines. It is not traditionally a large data center market. Google is also developing a campus in the area.
QTS has dozens of data centers in operation and development across the US, UK, Netherlands, and Spain.
