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Equinix Chicago CH1, CH2, & CH4
350 East Cermak Road
Chicago, IL 60616
Located in Chicago: Downtown
  • 296,927 Gross SqFt
  • ??? NN
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    Megawatts

Equinix distinctly separates CH1, CH2, and CH4 into separate data centers, but in reality, the sites are in the same building.

350 E Cermak - Digital Realty
350 East Cermak Road
Chicago, IL 60616
Located in Chicago: Downtown
  • ??? NN
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    Megawatts
  • Owns Owns the Building
QTS Chicago
2800 S. Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60608
Located in Chicago: Downtown
  • 48,000 Gross SqFt
  • ??? NN
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    Megawatts

The campus was a former Sun Times Press Facility and was acquired in 2014

CoreSite Chicago CH1
427 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60605
Located in Chicago: Downtown
  • 180,032 Gross SqFt
  • ??? NN
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    Megawatts

Once owned by the Western Union company, the building was formerly known as "The Telegraph Building."

Equinix Chicago CH3
1905 Lunt Ave
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Located in Chicago: Suburban
  • 272,103 Gross SqFt
  • ??? NN
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    Megawatts

Chicago is a popular location to build colocation and wholesale data centers. Five quick reasons to colocate a data center in Chicago:

  • Chicago is the 3rd largest metro in the United States
  • Nexus of connectivity options
  • Low risk of natural disasters
  • Low to moderate electric utility costs
  • Cooler climate

Chicago Data Center Market


The Chicago Data Center Market is one of the largest data center markets in the US. It is primarily split into 2 distinct markets: Downtown Chicago and Suburban Chicago.

Downtown Chicago Market

Downtown (also known as the Loop) consists of network dense facilities and financial trading deployments. Because of the urban environment, the data centers are tall multistory buildings usually retrofitted from an office tower or a warehouse. That's ok, warehouses have "good bones" because of the ability to support high floor weights and have taller ceilings than office towers.

Downtown Chicago also has higher network density as it is a nexus of networks for the Midwest region. Digital Realty maintains the Meet-Me-Room (MMR) at 350 E Cermak (Lakeside Technology Center) and Equinix's CH1, CH2, & CH4 sites are also in the building. CoreSite's CH1 site at 427 S LaSalle offers modest network density.

Suburban Chicago

The suburbs consist of data centers that are built in a campus environment where the buildings generally are 1 or 2 stories. The suburban data centers have higher power densities and offer more wholesale options. However, there are less Interconnection (Network) options and higher latencies to most destinations. (Most IP traffic needs to be hauled downtown before reaching the broader Internet.)

Wholesale Providers:

  • QTS's Chicago site offers a mix of wholesale and retail floor space. Located in the former Sun Times Press Facility it offers a location just outside of the loop.
  • Digital Realty offers 6 locations in Chicago. 350 E Cermak and 600 S Federal are downtown and network rich retail options. Digital's Franklin Park Campus and the former Dupont Fabros's campus in Elk Grove.
  • RagingWire is in Itasca near Elk Grove

Retail Colocation Chicago Providers:

  • Equinix has 3 locations
  • Zayo has 3 sites
  • Sungard has 3 sites in the Northwest
  • Cyxtera offers 2 locations
  • Steadfast has 2 retail locations downtown.
  • CyrusOne focuses on the Fintech colo after they acquired the CME data center in Aurora.

Electrical Utility:


Illinois's electricity market is deregulated that separates power generation and transport. Commonwealth Edison, aka ComEd, is the primary electric provider that generates its power from Coal (31%), Nuclear (26%, Wind (15%), Natural Gas (14%) and Hydro (7%). Pricing fluctuates, but the average cost in the $.08/kwh range.

Chicago Demographics:

Located at the southern end of Lake Michigan, Chicago is the 3rd largest city in the United States with a MSA population of 9.5 million people. Chicago's economy is one of the world most diverse. There are more than 400 major corporate headquarters, including 31 in the Fortune 500. Source: Wikipedia

Chicago Skyline





Largest Data Centers in Chicago

Gross SqFt Gross SqFt Power (MW) Power (MW)
Microsoft Chicago Northlake 707,244 198.00
350 E Cermak - Digital Realty 100.00
Facebook DeKalb IL 90.00
CyrusOne Chicago Aurora CME 57.00
2200 Busse Rd (CH1) DRT 230,000 36.40
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Top Chicago Datacenter Markets by # of Sites

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Top Chicago Datacenter Markets by Power Capacity (MW)

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December 2018

Indepth discussion around data center incentives. Should Illinois provide incentives to seed data center growth (42 pages)

May 2018

JLL's Chicago Data center market overview H1 2018

This stacking plan shows the layout of CH1, CH2, and CH4 in the building. The Telx (now Digital Realty) Meet-Me-Room on the 2nd floor. Financial Exchanges such as BATS, CME, and ICE are also noted.

This stacking plan shows the layout of CH1, CH2, and CH4 in the building. The Telx (now Digital Realty) Meet-Me-Room on the 2nd floor. Financial Exchanges such as BATS, CME, and ICE are also noted.
Stack Plan for Equinix Facilities in 350 E Cermak
Posted in Equinix Chicago CH1, CH2, & CH4

This stacking plan shows the layout of CH1, CH2, and CH4 in the building. The Telx (now Digital Realty) Meet-Me-Room on the 2nd floor. Financial Exchanges such as BATS, CME, and ICE are also noted.

Source: Equinix
Rooftop view at 350 E Cermak
Posted in Equinix Chicago CH1, CH2, & CH4
Rendering of the facility scheduled to be completed in early 2024
Posted in Metro Edge: Illinois Medical District (IMD)
CHI01 Site Layout
Posted in STACK Chicago CHI01
Source: STACK
Rendering of the STACK expansion facility in Elk Grove
Posted in STACK Chicago CHI01
Source: STACK
The Lobby before the STACK rebrand
Posted in STACK Chicago CHI01
Customer Lounge area
Posted in STACK Chicago CHI01
Colocation Floor Area
Posted in STACK Chicago CHI01
427 S LaSalle: 1st Floor Layout
Posted in CoreSite Chicago CH1
427 S LaSalle: 5th Floor Layout
Posted in CoreSite Chicago CH1
Source: CoreSite
427 S LaSalle: 6th Floor Layout
Posted in CoreSite Chicago CH1
Source: CoreSite
Western Union Building with Chicago Board of Trade in the Background
Posted in CoreSite Chicago CH1
CH1 Entrance to "The Telegraph Building"
Posted in CoreSite Chicago CH1
Source: CoreSite
Front Gate
Posted in 505 N Railroad Ave - Digital Realty
Source: Digital Realty Trust
Overhead at Twilight
Posted in 505 N Railroad Ave - Digital Realty
Source: CBRE
Equipment Yard
Posted in 505 N Railroad Ave - Digital Realty
Source: CBRE
Outside of T5's 2nd facility in Chicago
Posted in T5 Chicago II
Outside of 350 E Cermak
Posted in 350 E Cermak - Digital Realty
Rendering of DRT's planned 12-story Data Center at 330 East Cermak
Posted in 350 E Cermak - Digital Realty
Source: Digital Realty Trust
Diagram of QTS's Site in Chicago
Posted in QTS Chicago
Source: QTS
Exterior View of QTS's Chicago Building
Posted in QTS Chicago
Source: QTS
Raw Space Ready for Build-out
Posted in QTS Chicago
Source: Bisnow/Dees Stribling