Public Decision Analysis
- Government, industry, and residents work from the same public file
- Evidence is kept; rumor and unrelated claims are set aside
- Local context comes first—this city and this state
- A preliminary opinion is posted, then questions and new evidence can change it
- Everything stays visible: the sources, the updates, and the AI’s instructions
Active
5
This is a fictional sample board for demonstrations. It shows how evidence, arguments, public questions, and a preliminary recommendation appear once a project has been analyzed. It is not a real proposal.
Last updated September 10, 2026
Microsoft continues adding very large facilities in the West Des Moines area, including Ginger East, Ginger West and Ruthenium. Collectively these represent several hundred additional megawatts of capacity.
Last updated September 2, 2026
Microsoft has an approved development agreement for a new data-center campus in Van Meter. A recent Iowa industry study estimates the project at roughly 415 MW
Last updated September 2, 2026
QTS is developing a very large hyperscale data center campus at the Big Cedar Industrial Center in southwest Cedar Rapids. The project was approved in 2025 and is under major construction, with multiple large data-center buildings planned. Like Google’s project, it represents a multibillion-dollar investment and will require substantial electric infrastructure, supported through a long-term service agreement with Alliant Energy.
Last updated September 2, 2026
Google is developing a large hyperscale data center campus at the Big Cedar Industrial Center in southwest Cedar Rapids, near The Eastern Iowa Airport. The project was approved in 2024 and is now under construction, with portions of the campus already nearing occupancy. It represents a multibillion-dollar investment and is expected to use very large amounts of electricity, with supporting utility infrastructure provided through long-term agreements with Alliant Energy.
Last updated September 2, 2026
Planned
5
Lightedge has proposed a relatively small colocation data center on about 11 acres of city-owned land near the Ames Municipal Airport. The facility would be roughly 100,000 square feet, beginning at about 3 MW of electric demand and potentially expanding to 25 MW over roughly 10 years. The project is still under city review and is much smaller than the hyperscale Google or QTS developments.
Last updated September 2, 2026
Swarm Systems has now publicly presented a proposed AI/data-center project for the Edgewood Industrial Park. It is still very preliminary; the developer has said a best-case timeline would be construction beginning in 2027 and operation by late 2028
Last updated September 2, 2026
A potential Google-related data center near Palo is tied to the planned restart of the 615-MW Duane Arnold nuclear plant. The site has been discussed and zoning work has progressed, but a formal data-center application had not yet been filed as of the latest reporting I found.
Last updated September 2, 2026
QTS is exploring another hyperscale campus in Clinton, reportedly representing as much as a $10 billion investment. It is still in the early planning/due-diligence stage; QTS has not yet submitted a formal development plan.
Last updated September 2, 2026
Very early stage data center proposal
Last updated September 2, 2026
Completed
0