Microsoft to Build the “World’s Most Powerful AI Data Center” in Wisconsin

Microsoft has announced a further $4 billion investment in Wisconsin to build its second hyperscale AI data centre, bringing the total for the two facilities to more than $7 billion. The new campus will be in Mt Pleasant, Wisconsin, and will join a first facility in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina that is already under construction and scheduled to go online in early 2026.

The project, internally codenamed “Fairwater,” aims to be the world’s most powerful AI data centre, with a fibre network said to circumnavigate the Earth 4.5 times and cooling via one of the largest liquid-cooling systems globally. According to Microsoft, the cooling design involves a closed-loop system with 172 massive fans and a water-cooled chiller plant, consuming no more water annually than a single full-service restaurant.

The company also plans a 250-megawatt solar power plant about 150 miles northwest of the site to supply a portion of clean energy, with total demand for the two data centres projected to reach as high as 900 megawatts, while rival projects such as Stargate and investments by Vantage and Google are noted as context.