Microsoft says it has hired around 375 people for its Mount Pleasant data center

Microsoft has hired approximately 375 full-time employees for its data center operations in Wisconsin and anticipates this number will grow to 800 upon the completion of its second data center in Racine County. A company spokesperson indicated that equipment is being brought online at the first Mount Pleasant facility, with limited operations expected to continue in the coming weeks. Sean Ryan, spokesperson for the Village of Mount Pleasant, confirmed that Microsoft is ahead of schedule on its construction timeline and has already exceeded its property value growth targets, committing over $1.4 billion in new property value by 2028. This development comes as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella previously announced the Fairwater data center in Mount Pleasant, touted as the "world's most powerful AI datacenter," was going live ahead of schedule. While Microsoft's project advances, the article notes other data center developments in Wisconsin, including Oracle and OpenAI in Port Washington, and Meta in Beaver Dam. Dale Kooyenga, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, emphasized the potential for thousands of long-term jobs generated by these projects. However, a Marquette Law School poll revealed that about 70 percent of Wisconsinites believe the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits, largely due to concerns over water and energy usage. A Clean Wisconsin analysis projects that data centers in Mount Pleasant and Port Washington could require enough energy to power 4.3 million homes by 2025. In response, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin recently approved plans for We Energies and mandated Alliant Energy to develop specific electricity rates for data center-scale customers.