Microsoft's first Mt. Pleasant (Michigan) data center fully operational, staffed with 500 employees.

Microsoft has opened its first data center facility in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, with 550 full-time employees on site at the completed Fairview data center. The company expects headcount to grow to 800 when a second adjacent data center launches in 2028. These figures include both Microsoft and contractor staff.

The Fairview project is the first phase of Microsoft's $20.6 billion in planned data center investments across Wisconsin. The company invested $4.7 billion between 2024 and 2028 on the construction of hyper-scale data centers in the state, mobilizing 10,000 construction workers for the Fairview facility.

"With our Fairview data center now fully operational, Wisconsin is now home to the world's most powerful supercomputer," said Brad Smith, Microsoft Vice Chair and President. "This campus will help power the next generation of AI innovation globally and provide long-term economic opportunity locally through hundreds of highly skilled jobs and continued investment in the region."

The expansion has drawn public concern. A Center Square Voters' Voice Poll found that Wisconsin and national voters oppose data centers, viewing the strain on local electricity, water, and infrastructure as outweighing benefits for national security and competition with China. Voters also believe local governments should be cautious about new data center approvals, with those concerns overshadowing the jobs, tax revenue, and digital economy support the facilities provide.

Wisconsin has granted data centers a wide-ranging sales tax exemption on construction materials and electricity. Microsoft is expected to be the largest beneficiary. The state will forgo an estimated $1.5 billion in initial sales tax from four data center projects, according to a Legislative Audit Bureau report, with an additional $369 million in annual foregone revenue once construction completes.

The state's Department of Revenue initially estimated incentive value at $8.5 million per facility over the full construction period and $735,000 annually afterward. However, hyper-scale data centers have altered the equation: the state now expects $36.9 billion in total data center investment from four companies, forgoing approximately $40 million in sales tax for every $1 billion in company investment.

Beyond Microsoft's $20.6 billion commitment, OpenAI, Oracle, and Vantage Data Centers have announced over $15 billion in combined investments in Port Washington, while Epic Hosting plans $347 million in Verona and Meta has announced a $1 billion project in Beaver Dam.