MOUNT PLEASANT (NBC 26) — Microsoft is investing an additional $4 billion to expand what they're calling "the world's most powerful" artificial intelligence datacenter in Mount Pleasant in Racine County.
According to a news release from Gov. Tony Evers' office, Microsoft's new multi-billion dollar investment will raise the company's total investment in Wisconsin to more than $7 billion.
Microsoft officials say they are in the final phases of building the AI datacenter in southeastern Wisconsin.
“In the heart of the American Midwest, a modern marvel is rising,” Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said. "This facility is more than a technological feat. It’s a promise to grow responsibly, invest deeply, and create opportunities for Wisconsin and for the nation.”
As NBC 26 previously reported, Microsoft's AI datacenter in Mount Pleasant will process countless searches, streams, and AI prompts while creating thousands of jobs. The facility is one of Microsoft's 400+ global data centers.
Microsoft previously pledged to invest $3.3 billion for the Mount Pleasant AI datacenter by the end of next year. The company is on track to bring the first phase of the project online in early 2026, according to the release.
The additional $4 billion Microsoft is investing will be going towards building a second AI datacenter. The governor's office says that facility will be in the same area at a similar size and scale, and is expected to be built by the end of 2028.
Construction of Microsoft's first AI datacenter has provided family-sustaining jobs for almost 10,000 Wisconsin workers, according to the governor's office.
“Throughout our history, innovation has been the key to Wisconsin’s success, championing ideas of discoveries that have transformed people’s lives the world over, and this announcement is no different,” Gov. Evers said. “Microsoft’s investment puts Wisconsin on the very cutting edge of AI power, not just in the U.S., but throughout the world, while creating good, family-supporting jobs, growing our communities, and bolstering our critical biohealth, personalized medicine, and advanced manufacturing sectors here at home."
