The Project

In Cheyenne this week, we broke ground on a large-scale data center campus being developed by our client, Related Digital. The site spans 115 acres. The first phase includes a 184,000-square-foot building with 88 megawatts of capacity, already leased by CoreWeave, with plans to scale that to over 300 megawatts. These numbers are big, and they're part of an even bigger shift. Data infrastructure is accelerating, and Cheyenne is becoming a key stop on that digital map.

Cooling Without Water

What sets this project apart right from the start is its approach to cooling. No external water use. That’s a bold move. Most facilities of this scale still rely on evaporative systems, but this one is going fully self-contained. It forces a rethink in mechanical layout, systems integration, and overall design logic. More importantly, it reduces impact on the local water supply—an important consideration in any region balancing growth with sustainability.

Team and Coordination

The groundbreaking brought together Governor Mark Gordon, Mayor Patrick Collins, Black Hills Energy, LEADS Cheyenne, Ascent, and our team at Clayco. Projects like this are powered by partnerships. The momentum starts long before the first shovel hits dirt. Utility sequencing, permitting, civil coordination—these are the invisible layers that make high-performance projects possible. That’s where great teams show their value.

What to Expect

Now that construction is underway, things will move fast. Foundations, utilities, and envelope systems will roll out in tight sequence. Modular coordination is built in from the beginning. With the scale and power demands of a job like this, execution has to be sharp across every trade and every phase.

A Reflection on Innovation

What I love most about this project is how it challenges the usual playbook. We're not just building something massive. We're building something smarter. Innovation isn’t always about flashy tech. Sometimes it’s about making better decisions, earlier—and letting those ripple across the whole lifecycle of the project. That’s what makes this one special. And as the project grows, so will its impact—hundreds of jobs, long-term tax benefits, and a utility model that puts community first.

Innovation lives in the details. And in Cheyenne, that story is just getting started