5C Data Centers Expands Columbus Campus

June 20, 2024

Data Centers Columbus Development Investment More Midwest News

At full build-out, the facility will feature 42 data halls.

CMH01 is a 200 MW data center in Columbus, Ohio. — CMH01 will total about 320,000 square feet and 42 data halls optimized to accommodate average densities of more than 500 W per square foot. Image courtesy of 5C Data Centers

5C Data Centers is expanding CMH01, its 200 MW data center in Columbus, Ohio. The firm acquired a 66,000-square-foot live data center that will grow to 320,000 square feet in the next development phase.

Work is underway at the 40-acre property, facilitated by a partnership between 5CDC and the local utility. The initial 100 MW is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of next year, while the first shell is fully leased and will reach its full capacity by the third quarter of this year.

CMH01, the firm’s first mega campus, is anticipated to be one of the largest data centers in the region. It will feature 42 data halls optimized to accommodate average densities of more than 500 W per square foot.

First Energy will power the development through its own substation. With additional power capacity being secured, the project will have significant potential for scalability over time.

The owner is also planning to develop a 25-acre data center in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. That project is set to encompass 240,000 square feet of data hall space with up to 144 MW at full build-out.

Data centers on the rise

As demand for cloud and AI grows, operators are focusing on building larger developments for hyperscale users. This includes securing more extensive power resources and acquiring larger land parcels across different regions.

In September, Aligned Data Centers entered Ohio with the purchase of a 129-acre site. The Sandusky development has 1.3 million square feet available for construction and is equipped with power feeds capable of delivering up to 80 MW, expandable to more than 200 MW.

Around 27.4 million square feet of data center space were under construction as of April, according to a CommercialEdge report, while another 33.5 million square feet were in different planning stages. As of June, Columbus had 35 facilities totaling more than 7.1 million square feet completed, with 2.7 million square feet underway across six developments, the same source shows.