Microsoft Finishes Constructing Mount Pleasant Data Center, Plans More

A Microsoft data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin appears in a June 2026 photo. Photo courtesy of Microsoft

Microsoft has completed construction of a massive data center in Mount Pleasant.

Workers at the 315-acre facility started bringing equipment online in April. Now, the center is fully operational, and is employing close to 550 full-time people, according to the company.

Construction of a second Microsoft data center is ongoing in Mount Pleasant. That facility is located next door to the first. It’s set to be completed by 2028. Once that facility is fully online, the number of full-time data center employees in the area could grow to 800, Microsoft says.

In January, the Mount Pleasant village board approved site plans for up to 15 more Microsoft data centers, which could be built over the next decade.

The newly completed Mount Pleasant data center is referred to as “Fairwater” by Microsoft. In a statement Tuesday, Mount Pleasant Village President David DeGroot described its construction as a “historic milestone” for the village, which is home to some 28,000 residents in Racine County.

“As this campus continues to grow, it will create lasting opportunities for residents, strengthen our regional economy and help position Wisconsin for long-term succes,” DeGroot said in a statement.

Data center construction has been growing throughout the Great Lakes region, fueled largely by the data demands of artificial intelligence technology.

In some Wisconsin communities, data center proposals have been met with intense pushback, from people concerned about high energy and water use by the facilities.

Microsoft finishes construction of Mount Pleasant data center, plans for more was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.