Data centers in Shawnee County

Compass Datacenters wants to build a ten building data center campus on more than 600 acres south of the 3500 block of Southwest 77th Street, in the Wakarusa area southwest of Topeka. The company submitted a conditional use permit application to Shawnee County on July 24, 2026, county staff labeled the application incomplete in early August, and Compass resubmitted before a new deadline later that month. The company held a public open house and says the project could bring hundreds of jobs, while some residents have raised environmental concerns.

The Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority has floated a data center on undeveloped land on the south side of Forbes Field, described as roughly 30 to 40 acres with an initial phase of two buildings of about 150,000 square feet each, using closed loop cooling and drawing a reported 70 to 80 megawatts. MTAA presented the concept to the Topeka City Council on October 13, 2026, but officials said there is no identified developer or client yet, no formal application has been filed, and any application is not expected before spring 2027 once Shawnee County's and the city's data center moratoriums expire. City Manager Robert Perez said MTAA had not previously briefed city staff, and council members pressed for more transparency about who is actually behind the proposal before further talks continue.