The CloudHQ ORD data center campus in Mount Prospect, Illinois, stands as one of the most significant hyperscale construction projects in the American Midwest. Developer CloudHQ is redeveloping the 1.5 million-square-foot site of the former United Airlines headquarters into a three-building technology campus.
The campus will deliver up to 300 MW of critical IT load via an on-site substation, serving some of the world’s largest enterprise and cloud customers. Furthermore, the project transforms a largely vacant legacy corporate site into a cutting-edge computing hub.
Consequently, Mount Prospect has positioned itself as a leading data center destination in the Chicagoland market, attracting significant investment, infrastructure upgrades, and hundreds of new jobs.
CloudHQ ORD Data Center Campus Construction Progresses across All Three Buildings
CloudHQ named the three facilities ORD1, ORD2, and ORD3, with each building taking approximately 18 months to construct. Additionally, each building carries 566,800 square feet of gross floor area, with rooftop infrastructure including 82 chillers and 49 generators per building. Moreover, each facility requires more than 80 MW of power, and the three-building campus is built to LEED sustainability standards.
ORD1 reached completion and became operational by the end of Q1 2024, while ORD3 was projected for completion in Q4 2026. Therefore, by the close of 2026, all three buildings are expected to be operational, marking full campus delivery within the original construction timeline. The campus is expected to create 75 to 100 permanent jobs per building and support up to 3,000 construction jobs across the full build-out.
2026 Status Update: PUD Amendment Reshapes the CloudHQ ORD Data Center Campus Plan
The project has undergone a significant design revision. In October 2025, CloudHQ filed a Major PUD Amendment with the Village of Mount Prospect, proposing to consolidate two of the previously approved data center buildings into a single, larger building separated by a party wall. The amended plans also include a second, smaller data center building, a second electrical substation, a mechanical yard, a satellite antenna yard, and related site improvements. Furthermore, both buildings are increased to three stories in height, compared to the two-story structures previously approved.
Additionally, in January 2026, the Village of Mount Prospect approved a change order for the Algonquin Road Path and Lighting Project Phase II, funded entirely from escrow provided by the CloudHQ development, with no Village funds expended. A Public Improvements Agreement between the Village and TUR Ventures LLC was also approved in November 2025, covering Algonquin Road right-of-way improvements and a splash pad at the Mount Prospect Park District’s RecPlex. These approvals confirm that the project continues to advance actively through mid-2026.
As global demand for AI computing infrastructure accelerates, the ORD campus reflects the scale of investment required at ground level. However, the industry is also looking beyond terrestrial facilities. SpaceX’s newly announced Gigasat Factory targets 1 GW of space-based data center compute capacity by late 2027, exploring orbital infrastructure as a long-term complement to hyperscale campuses like CloudHQ’s ORD.
The idea behind the purchase of United Airlines’ former base
CloudHQ’s plan was to raze most of the historic United Airlines building and erect three data centre structures.
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Each of the buildings will measure around 560,000 square feet (52,000 square meters). Additionally, each of the centers will require more than 80MW of power. ComEd estimates that the project’s first building will be finished in 2024. The completion of the other two buildings depends on demand during the next three to five years.
ComEd, an Exelon Corporation subsidiary based in Chicago, will build a new onsite substation and extend high voltage lines. Moreover, the company will make new technology investments to support CloudHQ’s growth. According to ComEd, CloudHQ new data center campus in Mount Prospect is the eighth brand-new data center project to have begun in the company’s service area in northern Illinois in the last year.
About the developer of the CloudHQ new data center campus in Mount Prospect
CloudHQ was launched in 2017 with a focus on the Northern Virginia market. However, in recent years, the company has gone global. It now has data center development projects in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Mexico, and Brazil.
CloudHQ was founded by Hossein Fateh, one of the industry’s master builders. Fateh built more than 260 megawatts of data center capacity for many of the leading players in the Internet sector. This he did in the capacity of the co-founder and CEO of DuPont Fabros Technology.
Project Fact Sheet
Project Name: CloudHQ ORD Data Center Campus (Mount Prospect Technology Campus)
Type: Hyperscale data center campus construction
Location: 1200 East Algonquin Road, Mount Prospect, Illinois, USA (approximately 20 miles northwest of downtown Chicago)
Former Use: United Airlines world headquarters and operations campus
Total Site Area: 49.7 acres (43.6 acres office campus; 6.1 acres parking lot)
Total Gross Floor Area: Approximately 1.5–1.7 million square feet across all buildings
Project Value: $2.5 billion
Number of Buildings: Originally three (ORD1, ORD2, ORD3); amended in 2025 to two buildings — one large consolidated structure and one smaller building
Building Height: Increased to three stories under the 2025 PUD Amendment (previously two stories)
Power Capacity Per Building: More than 80 MW; total campus up to 300 MW of critical IT load
Rooftop Infrastructure: 82 chillers and 49 generators per building
Sustainability Standard: LEED-certified construction
On-site Substation: New ComEd substation constructed at the southeast corner of Dempster Street and Linneman Road
ORD1 Completion: Q1 2024 (operational)
ORD2 Projected Completion: 2025–2026
ORD3 Projected Completion: Q4 2026
Construction Jobs Supported: Up to 3,000 across full build-out
Permanent Jobs Per Building: 75–100 (operations, maintenance, security)
Tax Incentive: Cook County Class 6b tax classification approved; renewal resolution passed November 2022
2025 PUD Amendment: Approved October 2025
Off-site Improvements: Algonquin Road right-of-way upgrades and RecPlex splash pad funded from developer escrow
Project Team
Developer: CloudHQ (Washington, D.C.-based hyperscale data center developer and operator)
Founder and CEO: Hossein Fateh — co-founder of DuPont Fabros Technology; previously built over 260 MW of data center capacity for major internet companies
CloudHQ Entity on Record: TUR Ventures LLC (affiliate of CloudHQ LLC)
Energy Partner: ComEd (Commonwealth Edison Company), a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation — responsible for constructing and operating the on-site substation and extending high-voltage lines to the campus
Site Acquisition: CloudHQ acquired the 49.7-acre property from United Airlines in June 2021 via Cook County Clerk-recorded transaction
Local Authority: Village of Mount Prospect
Development approval; approved PUD Amendment in October 2025
Tax Authority: Cook County
Road Design Engineer: Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. (CBBEL) — engaged for Algonquin Road Path and Lighting Project Phase II Design Engineering
Planning Oversight: Village of Mount Prospect Planning and Zoning Commission — reviewed and approved PUD amendments and subdivision plats
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