Microsoft’s 1st Mt. Pleasant data center fully online with 500 employees
Microsoft's first Fairview data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, is now fully operational, employing 550 people with plans to expand to 800 by 2028 when a second facility opens. This project is part of a larger $20.6 billion investment by Microsoft in the state. The article also highlights public opposition to data centers in Wisconsin due to concerns about strain on electricity, water, and infrastructure, as well as significant state sales tax exemptions benefiting developers like Microsoft.
Microsoft has announced that its first Fairview data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, is now fully operational, employing 550 full-time staff including contractors. The company plans to increase this number to 800 by 2028 when an adjacent second data center is scheduled to open. Microsoft's Vice Chair and President Brad Smith stated that the facility houses the world's most powerful supercomputer, intended to power AI innovation globally and provide local economic opportunities.
This operational data center is part of Microsoft's extensive $20.6 billion investment plan in Wisconsin, with $4.7 billion already spent on hyper-scale data center construction between 2024 and 2028. The development involved 10,000 construction workers. The state anticipates hosting $36.9 billion in data center investments from four companies, including Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, Vantage Data Centers, Epic Hosting, and Meta, across various locations such as Port Washington, Verona, and Beaver Dam.
However, public opinion in Wisconsin and nationally has shown unpopularity towards data centers. A recent Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll indicated that voters believe the negative impacts on local electricity, water, and infrastructure outweigh the benefits for national security and economic competition. Voters also expressed a desire for local governments to exercise caution regarding new data center developments, prioritizing these concerns over potential jobs and tax revenue.
Furthermore, a Legislative Audit Bureau report estimates that a wide-ranging Wisconsin sales tax exemption, benefiting companies like Microsoft, will result in $1.5 billion in foregone state sales tax from four data center projects initially, and an annual loss of $369 million post-construction. This figure significantly revises the Department of Revenue's earlier, much lower estimates, primarily due to the large-scale hyper-scale data center investments announced by Microsoft and other companies in the state.