08.15.17

Hoeven: New Data Center Will Be Vital Tech Infrastructure for North Dakota, Help Bring National Companies to the Region

Senator Helps Break Ground on Midco’s Tier III Data Center

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today helped break ground on Midco’s new Tier III data center in Fargo. The $12 million facility is expected to be completed and operational in 2018, the first center of its kind in the region. It will provide secure data services, such as website hosting and data storage, which are crucial to many modern businesses. This makes the center an important piece of infrastructure that will help attract companies to the state from across the country, including from sectors like technology, health care, energy and finance. The new facility brings Midco’s investments in the Fargo region to more than $200 million following its buildout of gigabit internet infrastructure, which Hoeven helped announce in 2014.                                                                                                                                              

“Fast, secure and reliable data services have become vital to many sectors, whether we are developing the latest energy technologies, testing new applications for unmanned aerial systems, storing health records or selling locally-made products online,” Hoeven said. “I appreciate Midco’s continued investment in our state. We have worked hard to make technology the third wave in our economic growth, and infrastructure like this data center and gigabit internet will help us to continue to bring national companies to North Dakota.”

The new data center dovetails with Hoeven’s work to position North Dakota as a hub of technology entrepreneurship and build a pro-growth business climate that encourages investment and innovation. This has helped bring high-tech startups and multinational corporations to communities across North Dakota, with the state being among the top of the pack for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) job growth for the past several years, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

As part of these efforts, Hoeven is hosting his seventh annual State of Technology Conference this week with the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce to highlight breakthrough technologies and the local innovators creating them. The conference has served as a catalyst for new innovation and investment in the state, including the Dakota Fiber Initiative, which has resulted in measurable advancements in broadband infrastructure across North Dakota. 

-###-