CEDAR RAPIDS, IA — QTS along with Layton Construction, The Weitz Company, and local officials celebrated the topping out of the first of three data center campus buildings in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, marking the completion of each building’s structural framework. Due to wind, the traditional beam-raising to commemorate the milestone could not be completed that day.
The ceremony took place at the construction site located at Big Cedar Industrial Center, with support from the Governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds, Lieutenant Governor of Iowa Chris Cournoyer, Senator Charlie McClintock, State Representative Jeff Cooling, State Representative Elizabeth Wilson, and Mayor of Cedar Rapids Tiffany O’Donnell.
The QTS Cedar Rapids data center campus marks the largest economic development in the city’s and state’s history with a planned $10 billion investment, representing a long-term commitment to innovation, infrastructure, and regional growth.
The water-free cooling and sustainable facility will include seven data center buildings on 612 acres, ranging in size from 400,000 to 1.2 million square feet. Construction of the campus will be completed in two phases, with the first phase anticipated for completion in 2026 and the second phase anticipated for completion in 2027.
The development of the campus is expected to support over 2,000 construction and permanent jobs, supporting workforces local to Cedar Rapids and the state of Iowa.
