Plans Move Ahead For $1B Microsoft Data Center At Foxconn In Racine

MOUNT PLEASANT, WI — Microsoft is moving forward with plans to purchase a $50 million plot of land to construct a data center at the Foxconn facility in Mount Pleasant, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Microsoft is set to purchase the 315-acre plot, which is located in tax increment district No. 5, from the village with the aim of building a data center campus, a news release from the county said in March. The Racine County Board gave approval to the project on Tuesday, a report by WISN12 said.

The development agreement had Microsoft creating a $1 billion campus with work beginning as early as 2023, pending approvals, according to the news release. A report by the AP said work is expected to begin by 2026 at the latest.

“I am excited by Microsoft’s decision to locate in Mount Pleasant,” said Missy Hughes, Secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), in a news release. “Microsoft joins a roster of innovative, world-class companies that are choosing to grow in Wisconsin because of our highly educated workforce, outstanding infrastructure, central location, and unparalleled quality of life. We welcome Microsoft to our state and look forward to working with them to ensure they succeed.”

The agreement with Microsoft comes after state and village leaders in 2017 sought to bring a massive Foxconn production facility to southeastern Wisconsin, though the project failed to reach its planned size. By 2022, officials had said they were looking for different buyers as actual investment from Foxconn brought fewer than the thousands of jobs initially claimed possible.

See also: Officials Look For Other Companies To Move Near Foxconn

Intel had earlier been considering the Foxconn site for a multi-billion-dollar semiconductor plant, but by early 2022, the company announced plans to locate the plant in Ohio.

See also: Foxconn Says It Has Reached Construction Milestone