The Mount Pleasant, Wis., village board unanimously approved a proposal this week from Microsoft to build 15 new data centers on two additional campuses. Part of the expanded development will take over the plot that was initially part of a Foxconn project.
In total, the development would cover nearly 9 million square feet, with the taxable value of the development possibly exceeding $13 billion, reports Spectrum News 1. The development is poised to transform the 3,000-acre expanse once promised as a manufacturing mecca into a cornerstone of the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom.
The site, southeast of Milwaukee near Interstate 94, has languished since Foxconn’s 2017 pledge of a $10 billion factory, reports WebProNews. That vision evaporated, leaving the village with over $250 million in debt from land acquisitions and infrastructure, and Foxconn employing just 1,000 statewide by 2023.
Microsoft began acquiring parcels in 2023 and 2024, building on two existing data centers under construction and now expanding northwest. CNBC reported the board’s swift endorsement after the village planning commission’s prior unanimous nod on January 21. Village officials said jobs at the project could last 10 years, including for union tradespeople.
With full village board approval in place, Microsoft can now submit its final engineering plans and begin filing building permits.