Chicago Data Center Market and Power
Use Chicago market research to separate leasing evidence from a deployable site and an acceptable equipment package. The observation below follows CBRE’s Chicago colocation coverage, rather than a count of all facilities in Illinois.
Published market snapshot
| Observation | Reported value | Reporting period |
|---|---|---|
| Colocation market vacancy | 2.2% | H1 2026; period ending 2026-06-30 |
What the leasing evidence establishes
In its H1 2026 Chicago chapter, CBRE describes strong preleasing and developers prioritizing power availability in site selection. These are CBRE’s market observations for that reporting period.
A lease commitment, a building delivery and an energized deployment are different milestones. This page does not convert the report’s leasing commentary into a guaranteed delivery date for an individual requirement.
CBRE also identifies a planned Aligned campus in Coal City. Treat that as a dated development report, not as commissioned capacity or proof of an equipment order.
Chicago interconnection: specify the question
SecondWatt procurement guidance. Clarify whether an interconnection question concerns electrical service, generation or network connectivity. For a power project, identify the site, intended operating arrangement and relevant service process before relying on any queue or timing claim.
Ask for facility-specific evidence. Distinguish utility service capacity, IT load and installed generator ratings. Check that each source identifies what the figure measures and when it applies.
Procurement questions for preleased capacity
SecondWatt procurement analysis. If a project depends on a future data hall, document which equipment belongs to the operator’s base build and which belongs to the customer’s fit-out. Confirm the delivery boundary before requesting generators, transformers, switchgear or UPS equipment.
Ask for the documented load and service milestones that apply to the particular property. Identify the team responsible for electrical acceptance, the operating duty of the requested package and the documents needed to establish its condition and configuration.
For a phased deployment, record what can be commissioned independently and what depends on later site work. Keep those project assumptions separate from the market’s vacancy percentage. The equipment request should describe a transactable model or lineup and the required scope, not simply repeat a market demand figure.
Measures not included in this snapshot
A current market inventory figure, electricity price and market-wide connection wait are not included. Before using a facility record, verify its address, capacity basis, operating status and source date. Reconcile campus and building records before counting them together.
An older inventory observation must retain its own date and scope if added later. It must not be relabeled as the current period to fill an empty card.
Continue to equipment research
Start with the equipment model dossiers. Identify the model, required configuration, condition and supporting documentation before submitting a sourcing request. Equipment owners and sourcing partners should prepare model and configuration records, condition evidence, package inclusions and release arrangements for an inquiry. SecondWatt holds no inventory; a model dossier or reference to a data center or operator does not establish that a particular unit is available.
The figures on this page describe the publisher’s stated market and reporting period. They are not measurements of SecondWatt’s facility records, an offer of capacity, or confirmation of electrical service at a particular address. No market-wide electricity price or connection wait is published in this snapshot.
Compare other data center markets.
Read the research methodology when comparing sources.
Research checked: 2026-09-29. Reporting dates are stated with each observation.