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C Data Centers, a Montreal-based developer, is joining the growing list of companies building data centers in Phoenix. The company has filed plans for a 140,000-square-foot facility near Downtown, with 20 megawatts of power capacity. While details about the project's cost and location remain undisclosed, it will support demanding workloads such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.

    The new data center, dubbed PHX01, is expected to accommodate densities of up to 132 kilowatts per cabinet. This marks 5C Data Centers' third project, following existing developments in Ohio and Texas. The company's CEO, Steve Perez, has a background in the industry, having previously worked at Bell Canada and Hypertec DCS.

    Phoenix is experiencing a surge in data center development, with Denver-based Tract recently acquiring land to build a $20 billion campus. The regional market had nearly 150 megawatts of net absorption in the first half of the year, with an inventory of 510 megawatts and 334 megawatts under construction. Greater Phoenix now ranks fourth in the nation for total inventory, behind Northern Virginia, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Chicago.

    The US data center market is expanding rapidly, with facilities offering 6.7 gigawatts of capacity. This growth is expected to continue, with over 4.5 gigawatts of new capacity set to break ground by next year.