Data center waste heat studied for greenhouse farming

Researchers are studying whether data centers could help support year-round greenhouse production in North Dakota through a new public-private research project.

The North Dakota State University Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department and Resource Innovation Institute have launched the Legendary Harvest Project to evaluate the feasibility of colocating high-tech greenhouse vegetable production with data center infrastructure. Applied Digital Corporation is supporting the research by providing site access funding and operational insights.

The study will take place at Applied Digital’s Polaris Forge 2 development near Harwood North Dakota. Researchers will evaluate the technical economic and environmental feasibility of using waste heat generated by data centers to support large-scale greenhouse production.

The project addresses two regional challenges: limited year-round food production due to North Dakota’s short growing season and cold winters and the underutilization of heat generated by high-performance data centers.

The concept being evaluated is described as a “Farm Park,” where greenhouse food production operates alongside data center facilities. Researchers say the approach could support food production while making use of excess energy produced by digital infrastructure.

“The NDSU Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department is researching how to advance food security in North Dakota from a number of angles,” said Xinhua Jia, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering. “This colocation approach has the potential to make a significant impact.”

According to Resource Innovation Institute, similar greenhouse and data center partnerships have become more common in Europe. The Legendary Harvest Project will evaluate how the model could be implemented in the U.S.

A project report is expected in mid-2026.