Polaris Forge 1

Applied Digital · Ellendale, North Dakota

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The resource footprint

Modelled average

In one day, this campus consumes about

0.7950-metre swimming pools

Filled with the volume of water consumed by the campus and its electricity supply.

The actual estimate521,450 US gallons consumed

50-metre pools · 2 metres deep

Each diagram = 1 pool. Partial shading shows the remainder.

At the campus12,718 galMaking its electricity508,732 gal

Power-plant water may come from a different watershed. This is a volume comparison, not a claim that households lose this water.

At current operating capacity · Annual model spread evenly over time, not a live meter. Site estimates may differ by roughly ±40%.

Comparison sizes & sources

One pool = 50 × 25 × 2 metres = 2.5 million litres (about 660,430 US gallons). Pool depths vary; this is a defined comparison size.

One home-year = 10,791 kWh, the EIA’s 2022 average US residential electricity purchases. This excludes electricity generated at home and is a fixed US benchmark for all sites.

One car-year = 4.6 tonnes CO₂, the EPA’s typical passenger vehicle tailpipe estimate. The campus model is in CO₂e; the comparison expresses approximate climate scale, not equal mixtures of pollutants.

Monthly values are annual totals ÷ 12; daily values are annual totals ÷ 365. Actual demand varies. Comparisons cover the whole campus, including non-AI uses.

Water: see the numbers and sources

This is water used up, mainly through evaporation. Power-generation water may be used in a different watershed.

Total water use190M gal/yr

Evaporated on site4.64M gal

Making the power186M gal

Household comparison2,379homes, at 80,000 gal/year

Pressure on local water: Low — a regional measure of demand compared with available water
Where the water comes from: Closed loop — negligible draw
Cooling: Closed-loop liquid; ambient cold does most of the work
Basis: Modelled from cooling design — WUE 0.02 L/kWh

Air: see the numbers and sources

The totals include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and fine particles. They cover both this site and the power plants supplying it.

Nitrogen oxides149t/yr

Sulphur dioxide299t/yr

Fine particulates27.2t PM2.5

Health (EPA)$28.5M/yr

Health range: $9.97–28.5 million a year. Lower bound is EASIUR national mid-range; upper is EPA benefit-per-ton at a ~$12M VSL.
Statistical deaths: 2.37 a year at that VSL — a national-average conversion from tons, not a local concentration study.
Equals: 186,708 cars of NOx
Where it burns: MISO West — Iowa / Nebraska
Generation mix: Wind 52 · Coal 22 · Gas 14 · Nuclear 8
Diesel backup: Backup generators are not disclosed in the 10-K. Diesel is not modelled here.
CO₂e: 253 kt/yr — climate, not air quality

The project, approvals and community concerns

Who asked for it: CoreWeave — 15-year leases covering the full campus; end users are CoreWeave's own AI customers
Who approved it: Dickey County permits; Otter Tail Power supply on a wind-heavy grid
What it serves: GPU capacity leased to CoreWeave
IT capacity: 100 MW current capacity / 400 MW full-build scenario

North Dakota's cold and its stranded wind make this one of the lowest-impact large sites per unit of compute in the country — a reminder that siting choices dominate the footprint far more than operator policy does.

Keep this guide handy

46.0022°, -98.5254°

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Quote or share these estimates

Gigawatt Ledger (2026). Polaris Forge 1: water and air. https://gigawatt-ledger.pages.dev/site/ellendale/. Modelled from disclosed capacity; site-level error ±40%.

Include the estimate’s date, whether it describes current or proposed capacity, and its uncertainty. Get an embeddable card.

Gigawatt Ledger · September 2026. Water and air figures are estimated from public records and disclosed capacity. How we calculate them · Use this in your community.