Winston-Salem, NC · Tier III · Carrier-neutral
470,000 square feet in downtown Winston-Salem, fed by 5 utility feeds from 3 substations, with a sixth in Q3 2027.
Fiber from 5 providers. 4.05 MW critical load available in Q1 2027, 9.25 MW in Q3 2027,
followed by 19 MW and 30+ MW upgrades in 2028 and beyond.
809 4½ St WOver 380,000 SF across seven floors. The lower two levels hold UPS and battery systems with significant room for expansion.
801 W 4th StRoughly 90,000 SF on the main floor with 15 ft ceilings and two sets of restrooms, plus 12,000 SF across two sections on the second level. Structure can be extended to carry any number of additional floors. The current rooftop holds just under 200 parking spaces.
A wide tunnel and conduit run beneath 4½ St W, connecting the Annex to the West End Center main building.
Roughly 8,400 SF of office space with elevators and one set of restrooms.
Ten air-cooled chillers totaling 3,570 tons, plus HVAC equipment, in place today. A platform to carry thirteen additional chillers for future liquid-cooling systems is under construction.
Five diesel generators with switching systems and a dedicated control room.
Four diesel generators and switchgear.
Capacity for ten new 4 MW generators plus fuel and switching.
4 × 3 MW generators online Q3 2027, with 4 more planned for Q2 2028.
The roof is built to carry heavy loads for future expansion.
34,000 gallons of fuel storage integrated with an additional 5,000 gallons of belly tanks, diesel polishing and cleaning systems, and dual external inputs at the loading dock.
One dock on the Annex’s southwest corner along W 4th St and one on its northeast corner along 4½ St W. Three internal bays sit on the West End Center’s southwest corner along 4½ St W, plus a drive-in dock on the northeast corner at 5th St.
A 6-inch line runs along W 4th St beside the building. Engineering studies are underway to establish the maximum pressure and volume available for additional on-site backup and primary generation.
The initial request for 90 MW fed via transmission has been granted. GIS substation design and engineering studies are pending, with capacity estimated to be available in 2029.
Phased buildout · cumulative IT load
Capacities are cumulative. Phase dates are planning estimates, subject to change, and not a commitment to any delivery or service-commencement date. Phase III long-lead procurement orders are not yet placed. Phased capacity diagram (PDF, Oct 22, 2026)
Why this building
5 utility feeds from 3 substations today, a sixth in Q3 2027 and a seventh by April 2028. Distributed-redundant UPS with N+1 generation. 9 generators (15.6 MW) in place, with first 4 of 10 more being installed in 2027. 90 MW additional transmission study submitted Jan 2027.
3,570 tons of air-cooled chillers serve CRAH today, and new redundant chilled-water loops for AI workloads are being installed. First four 545.6-ton Trane chillers dedicated to 65°F in-row liquid cooling online Q3 2027, five more in 2028. CRAH is N+2; pumps and chillers N+1.
365,000 SF open conditioned office and storage in main building for staging, spares, secure build rooms, or new white space. Annex offers a 90,000 SF footprint for immediate use, or a base for multi-story additions.
Specifications
| Utility service | 20.641 MW today from five feeds and three substations: 18.516 MW from four 12 kV lines (Buxton 2 × 5.508 MW, Hinshaw 2 × 3.750 MW). 2.125 MW from a 480 V Winston feed. 2.575 MW from a new 480 V Winston line in Q3 2027 (23.216 MW total). 14 MW from a new 24 kV Buxton feed under a Duke Energy letter agreement, with service on or about April 30, 2028 (37.216 MW total; Buxton reaches 25.016 MW). |
|---|---|
| Redundancy | Distributed-redundant UPS: 3N/2 through Phase I, 4N/3 from Phase II. 2N PDU, N+1 generation. Five power feeds from three substations, six from Q3 2027, seven from April 2028. Concurrency and failover throughout. |
| UPS | Vertiv distributed-redundant units, 675 kW minimum module. 2.7 MW IT today (UPS #1 + #2, 6 × 750 kVA / 675 kW). 4.05 MW Q1 2027 with UPS #3 (3 × 750 kW, 3-string BESS). 9.25 MW Q3 2027 with UPS #4–#8 (3 × 750 kW and 4 × 1,250 kW). 19 MW Q2 2028 with nine new 1,250 kW UPS (5-string BESS). |
| Battery | VLA and lithium with continuous monitoring. 10–15 minutes at full load. |
| Generators | Nine diesel units, 15.6 MW at N+1 today: 4 × 1.25 MW, 2 × 1.8 MW, 2 × 2.25 MW, 1 × 2.5 MW. 4 × 3 MW online in new 10-generator building with paralleling gear Q3 2027 (27.6 MW). 4 × 3 MW more Q2 2028 with additional paralleling gear (39.6 MW). |
| Fuel | 39,000+ gallons of diesel on site with dual tanker offloading / bulk intake lines. 6″ natural gas line. |
| Energy cost | Duke Energy average rate by load: 10 MW: 7.24¢ per kWh. 15 MW: 7.22¢ per kWh. 18.5 MW: 7.21¢ per kWh. Rates include applicable sales tax and assume DSM/EE Rider opt-out. |
| Chiller plant | Ten Trane air-cooled chillers, 3,570 tons installed. 2,491 tons at N+1 net of 400 tons comfort load: 8,760 kW of IT cooling via CRAH. |
|---|---|
| High-density plant | Four 545.6-ton Trane Ascend air-cooled chillers (N+1) serving 65°F in-row liquid cooling in Q3 2027: 1,637 tons, 5,756 kW. Five more Q2 2028, nine total (N+1): 4,365 tons, 15,350 kW. |
| IT cooling | 8,760 kW today and in Q1 2027. 14,517 kW in Q3 2027 (4,128 tons, N+1). 24,111 kW Q2 2028 (6,856 tons, N+1). |
| Loop type | New redundant 12-inch chilled-water loops for AI workloads, with additional loops as needed. |
| Cabinet density | Air cooling supports 8–10 kW per rack today, and about 35 kW per rack with enhanced hot-aisle containment. Liquid cooling from Phase II: about 50 kW per rack with rear-door heat exchangers, and over 100 kW per cabinet direct-to-chip. |
| CRAH | 30+ units at 20 and 30 tons, N+2 on every floor. |
| Redundancy | Minimum N+2 CRAH, minimum N+1 pumps and chillers. |
| Humidification | Ultrasonic. |
| Existing | 2,700 kW IT load, 3N/2 (UPS #1 + #2). Utility 20,641 kW from five feeds. Generation 15,600 kW from nine units (4 × 1.25, 2 × 1.8, 2 × 2.25, 1 × 2.5 MW). Cooling 2,491 tons N+1, air-cooled via CRAH: 8,760 kW of IT cooling. |
|---|---|
| Phase I · Q1 2027 | Ready for service March 31, 2027. 4,050 kW IT load (+1,350 kW), 3N/2. New UPS #3: 3 × 750 kW with 3-string BESS; roof PMH9 and MSDA transfer to an alternate feed. No utility, generator or mechanical scope; the existing plant carries Phase I. |
| Phase II · Q3 2027 | Ready for service September 30, 2027. 9,250 kW IT load (+5,200 kW), 4N/3. New UPS #4–#8 and a new 4,000 A distribution board. Utility 23,216 kW: sixth feed adds 2,575 kW at Winston. Generation 27,600 kW: four new 3 MW units with paralleling gear. Cooling 4,128 tons N+1: four Trane Ascend chillers on new redundant 12-inch loops add 65°F in-row liquid cooling, for 14,517 kW of IT cooling. |
| Phase III · Q2 2028 | Ready for service April 30, 2028. 19,000 kW IT load (+9,750 kW), 4N/3. Nine new 1,250 kW UPS with 5-string BESS and new switchgear. Utility 37,216 kW: seventh feed adds 14,000 kW at Buxton (24 kV) under a Duke Energy letter agreement, with service on or about April 30, 2028. Generation 39,600 kW: four more 3 MW units with additional paralleling gear. Cooling 6,856 tons N+1: five more Trane Ascend chillers (nine total) and additional chilled-water loops, for 24,111 kW of IT cooling. Long-lead procurement orders are not yet placed. |
| Note | Capacities are cumulative. Phase dates are planning estimates, subject to change, and not a commitment to any delivery or service-commencement date. Source: WEC Phased Capacity Diagram, October 22, 2026 (PDF). |
| Footprints | Cages, cabinets and private suites. |
|---|---|
| Area | 470,000+ SF total, including 365,000 SF of conditioned office and storage space. 90,000 SF Annex available for single-story buildout or multi-story expansion (no zoning height limits). |
| Structure | Structural steel and reinforced concrete, concrete exterior. Built 1984; remodeled 1997, 2015 and 2026. |
| Floors | Main building: five above grade plus two subterranean floors. Clear height 12–15 ft. Annex: 90,000 SF main floor with clear height 15–18 ft. 12,000 SF across two sections on the second level. |
| Floor system | In-place antistatic raised floor, 18–24 in. Option to convert existing white space, or to build out open floors to 14 ft slab-to-slab. |
| Seismic | Zone 2D, built to a 1.5 importance factor. Not in a flood plain. |
| Fire protection | Pre-action dry pipe. Smoke, heat and subfloor detection, remotely monitored, with subfloor leak detection. |
| Logistics | Six loading docks at opposite corners of both buildings. Built to accommodate large and small trucks. |
| Expansion | Outdoor steel structures under construction for 10 new generators and additional MEP infrastructure. |
| Model | Carrier-neutral, with a dedicated meet-me room. |
|---|---|
| Carriers on net | AT&T, Verizon, Lumen, Segra and Spectrum, with additional carriers nearby. |
| Entrance vaults | Two diverse fiber vaults. |
| Backbone | Direct connections toward Virginia, Atlanta and the I-85 corridor. |
| Latency | Under 4 ms to Ashburn, under 3 ms to Atlanta, under 3 ms to Raleigh. |
| Guards | On site 24/7/365. |
|---|---|
| Access control | HID proximity readers plus biometrics. |
| Surveillance | IP CCTV throughout. |
| Recording | NVR with a minimum 180-day retention, on site and backed up off site. |
| Intrusion detection | Yes. |
| Certifications | HIPAA and SOC 2 Type II. |
|---|---|
| Audits | Independent compliance audits performed annually. |
| Design standard | Tier III, 2N, concurrently maintainable. |
The site
Two connected buildings on West 4th Street, running as a Tier III data center, with expansion potential up to 125 MW.
