The Honorable JB Pritzker, Governor of the State of Illinois, greets IBEW Local 701 Business Manager Tony Giunti at the recent CyrusOne groundbreaking ceremony in Aurora.
IBEW Local 701 leadership recently attended the groundbreaking of the new CyrusOne data center in Aurora, Illinois. The new campus, which consists of two buildings totaling 446,000 square feet, will serve local communities and national networks through the creation of state-of-the-art digital infrastructure solutions.
“When I became governor, I pledged to make Illinois a home for the high-tech, high-growth industries of the future,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.“This groundbreaking is the culmination of years of work with our partners at CyrusOne, and secures hundreds of construction jobs as well as over twenty data center positions for the people of our state. CyrusOne’s new data center joins the ecosystem of high-tech sectors that are flourishing in Illinois– from electric vehicles to quantum computing to chip manufacturers – that form the foundation of sustainable economic growth.”
CyrusOne selected Aurora for this $350 million investment with future growth and expansion capabilities in mind. The data center will create hundreds of construction jobs and more than 20 full-time positions. It is set to open in early 2026, a very quick timeline for a data center of this size, due in part to Illinois’ many economic development assets that create opportunities for companies like CyrusOne.
“With Chicagoland being the third-largest data center market nationally and demand continuing surging, this expansion aligns perfectly with our strategic plan to enhance our capacity and capabilities,” said Eric Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer of CyrusOne. “This investment reinforces our commitment to innovation and meeting the evolving needs of our customer base in this critical market.”
In partnership with the State of Illinois, CyrusOne has been approved for the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s data center investment program, which includes a Project Labor Agreement for the facility’s construction. IBEW will be the primary labor partner. CyrusOne has now invested over $1 billion across Illinois.
“This state-of-the-art data center expansion will strengthen our technological capabilities and create good-paying jobs for IBEW members. We’re excited to be part of this project that will help power Illinois’ innovation economy,” said IBEW Sixth District International Vice President Michael Clemmons. “I want to extend our appreciation to Governor JB Pritzker, whose tireless efforts in attracting these kinds of transformative investments have been instrumental in making Illinois a prime destination for projects that benefit our skilled workforce and our communities.”
“CyrusOne’s decision to include a Project Labor Agreement prioritizes the needs of Illinois working families by ensuring that the hundreds of construction jobs created will provide safe working conditions, good wages and benefits, and sustained investment in the local economy and workforce,” said Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea.
The new campus builds on Illinois’ thriving data center industry, supported by the Pritzker administration’s data center incentives. Currently, four of the largest data center campuses in the nation are being built in Illinois, creating thousands of jobs and investing billions in the state.
