Potential AI Data Center Coming to Chicago

And Tech Events Around the City

Author

Landon Campbell
February 24, 2025

In partnership with

97th Edition

This Week on Landon’s Loop:

🆕 Potential AI Data Center Coming to Chicago

📆 Events Around the City

🔙 Previous Newsletter Editions

Highlights from Last Week 🔙

We hosted our 16th AI Tinkerers Chicago meetup at the Drive office 👇🏽

We co-hosted Data Night at Drive with UChicago, featuring a talk by Becca Taft, Senior Engineering Manager at CockroachDB 👇🏽

🆕 Potential AI Data Center Coming to Chicago

Ogle County in Illinois could soon host a hyper-scale AI data center powered by nuclear energy. The Byron Clean Energy Center, owned by Constellation Energy, is being considered for the project.

Here are the details:

What’s an AI Data Center

  • AI data centers near nuclear sites provide the massive computing power required for AI workloads, such as training LLMs.

  • Co-locating with nuclear plants ensures a steady, carbon-free power source, meeting the high energy demands of AI operations without relying on fossil fuels.

  • Using existing nuclear infrastructure reduces energy transmission losses and lowers operational costs, making AI data processing more efficient and sustainable.

TLDR on the Byron Site

  • The Ogle County Board has rezoned 524 acres from agricultural to industrial use, paving the way for large-scale tech developments.

  • Byron already produces 2,450 MWe—enough to power 2 million homes. An additional 2,000 MW expansion could easily support the energy demands of AI data centers.

  • Constellation Energy recently partnered with Microsoft to restart Three Mile Island for AI data centers, indicating Byron could be next.

Why Colocation Matters to Chicago

  • This development could create jobs, raise property values, and boost tax revenue.

  • Constellation’s colocation approach extends the lifespan of clean, reliable nuclear plants while meeting rising AI demand.

  • Existing power infrastructure at sites like Byron reduces the need for new investments, making the project more cost-effective.

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📆 Events Around the City

Black History Month Celebration

Consumer Chi Coffee Club

Construction AI, Drinks & Fairways

🗞 Previous Newsletter Editions:

👋 See you next week!

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