Compass Datacenters has celebrated the start of work on a hyperscale data centre campus in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, US. 

The celebration was attended by partners for the Village of Hoffman Estates and ComEd. 

The domestic hyperscale data centre developer is set to transform the former Sears headquarters into a data campus. 

The site's acquisition was completed in September 2023, and since then, Compass has been planning with Hoffman Estates on the redevelopment of the space.  

In the interim, the site has served community groups and first responders, providing access to repurposed materials and conducting training exercises.  

According to Compass, five hyperscale data centres will be built on the nearly 200-acre site.  

Structural demolition work will commence shortly, with construction expected to begin in 2025.

Compass CEO Chris Crosby said: "At Compass, we go slow before we go fast. We're taking a methodical approach to demolition and doing all we can to minimise waste.  

“It will take over a year to complete this work, setting the stage for Compass to do what it does best - building sustainably and building to last.” 

Materials from the existing structures such as concrete, stone blocks, and asphalt will be recycled and used as fill to level the site and as aggregate in new concrete production.  

Compass is leveraging an AI application to optimise the use of these locally sourced materials, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the process. 

The development is expected to generate 1,000 local jobs during construction and represent an investment of approximately $10bn once operational.