qts - cedar rapids campus
on this page
qts - cedar rapids campus
Located at Big Cedar Industrial Center, adjacent to Google facility. Largest economic development investment in Cedar Rapids history. Broke ground August 2025. Will create minimum 30 high-tech full-time jobs (15 per phase). QTS will contribute up to $18M over 20 years to Community Betterment Fund.
| Investment | $10.0B |
| Power Capacity | N/A |
| Location | Cedar Rapids, Linn, Iowa |
| Status | Under Construction |
project overview
Located at Big Cedar Industrial Center, adjacent to Google facility. Largest economic development investment in Cedar Rapids history. Broke ground August 2025. Will create minimum 30 high-tech full-time jobs (15 per phase). QTS will contribute up to $18M over 20 years to Community Betterment Fund.
location and scale
| Location | Cedar Rapids, Linn, Iowa |
| Region | Eastern Iowa |
| Status | Under Construction |
| Total Investment | $10.0B |
| Power Capacity | N/A |
| Total Area | 1.4M sq ft |
key stakeholders
| Sponsors | QTS Realty Trust, Blackstone |
| Operators | QTS Realty Trust |
investment breakdown
The $10.0 billion investment is distributed across multiple components:
| Component | Amount | Percentage |
| IT Equipment (GPUs, servers, networking) | $6.5B | 65% |
| Building and Construction | $2.0B | 20% |
| Power Infrastructure | $1.0B | 10% |
| Other (cooling, security, land) | $500M | 5% |
equipment refresh cycles
IT equipment typically requires replacement every 3-5 years, meaning:
- Initial deployment: $6.5B
- 3-year refresh: Additional $5.2B estimated
- Total over 10 years: $16.2B in equipment
infrastructure requirements
facility specifications
| Total Area | 1.4M sq ft |
| Raised Floor Space | 979,999 sq ft (estimated) |
| Power Density | N/A W/sq ft |
sustainability and cooling
| Cooling Technology | Air cooling systems |
Water-free cooling system that saves more than 48 million gallons of water annually per data center
construction timeline
| Announced | 2025-02 |
| Construction Start | 2025-08 |
| Expected Completion | 2028-Q4 |
development phases
| Phase | Description | Completion |
| Phase 1 | First phase completion | 2028-Q4 |
economic impact analysis
job creation
| Peak Construction Jobs | 20,000 |
economic multiplier effects
The project’s total economic impact extends beyond direct investment:
| Direct Investment | $10.0B |
| Total Economic Impact (2.5x multiplier) | $25.0B |
| Estimated Annual Tax Revenue | $50M |
| 30-Year Tax Revenue | $1.5B |
regional benefits
The project brings significant benefits to Iowa:
- Supply chain development: Local suppliers for construction materials, equipment, and services
- Infrastructure investment: Improved power grid, roads, and telecommunications
- Technology ecosystem: Attracts related tech companies and talent
- Educational partnerships: Training programs and university collaborations
- Real estate development: Increased commercial and residential development
technical specifications
workload types
| Workload Type | Description |
| HYPERSCALE | Large-scale cloud computing and storage |
| COLOCATION | Multi-tenant hosting and colocation services |
strategic importance
competitive positioning
This mega-project represents a strategic investment by QTS Realty Trust, Blackstone to:
- Cloud Expansion: Grow public cloud market share and regional presence
- Customer Proximity: Reduce latency for regional enterprise customers
- Service Diversity: Enable new services requiring massive compute resources
national infrastructure significance
As a mega-project (>$10B investment), this facility:
- Represents a major commitment to US technology infrastructure
- Contributes to national AI competitiveness and security
- Demonstrates Iowa’s emergence as a datacenter hub
- Sets new standards for scale and efficiency in datacenter design
regional integration
Iowa datacenter ecosystem
This project integrates into Iowa’s growing datacenter infrastructure:
- Power grid integration: Connection to regional transmission infrastructure
- Fiber connectivity: Access to major internet backbone routes
- Skilled workforce: Leverage regional technical talent and training programs
- Supply chain: Integration with local construction and equipment suppliers
community relations
Large-scale datacenter projects require strong community partnerships:
- Local hiring commitments: Priority hiring for construction and operations roles
- Educational partnerships: STEM programs and technical training initiatives
- Infrastructure improvements: Road, water, and utility infrastructure upgrades
- Tax revenue sharing: Property tax and incentive agreements with local governments
Linn impact
The project specifically impacts Linn through:
- Direct property tax revenue and economic development incentives
- Increased demand for housing, retail, and professional services
- Enhanced infrastructure that benefits broader community
- Recognition as a technology and innovation center
stakeholder analysis
project sponsors
QTS Realty Trust | Blackstone
The sponsoring organizations bring complementary capabilities:
- QTS Realty Trust: Strategic partner and stakeholder
- Blackstone: Strategic partner and stakeholder
operators and tenants
Primary Operators: QTS Realty Trust
The operators manage day-to-day facility operations including power, cooling, security, and network management.
sources and references
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa Gets Approval for Two Major Data Center Investments by Google and QTS - Data Center Frontier - https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/site-selection/article/55268088/cedar-rapids-iowa-gets-approval-for-two-major-data-center-investments-by-google-and-qts
- City of Cedar Rapids, Alliant Energy, and QTS Collaborate on New Data Center Campus in Cedar Rapids - City of Cedar Rapids (2025-02-12) - https://cedar-rapids.org/news_detail_T6_R2180.php
- Cedar Rapids confirms $750 million data center, largest economic investment in its history - CBS2 Iowa - https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/cedar-rapids-confirms-750-million-data-center-largest-economic-investment-in-its-history
- Cedar Rapids - QTS Data Centers - QTS - https://qtsdatacenters.com/data-centers/cedar-rapids/
related pages
analysis current as of October 2025