Microsoft plans to invest billions of dollars over the next decade to expand its operations in Mount Pleasant, state and local officials announced.
Under the plan released Friday afternoon by the village of Mount Pleasant and Racine County, the Washington-based tech giant would spend billions of dollars to build new data centers in the area. The specific dollar figure for the plan was not disclosed.
The company’s initial $1 billion investment in the area was announced earlier this year before a summer groundbreaking, anchoring its presence in southeastern Wisconsin.
Microsoft would acquire 1,030 additional acres in the village’s Tax Incremental District No. 5 under this expanded plan, according to the release. About 630 of those acres would be bought from the village, while the rest would be purchased from a private landowner. These moves would bring its total land in the district to 1,345 acres, including the 315 acres it previously acquired from the village in May.
Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement the move will “have a positive impact that will be felt in the region and across our state” for years to come.
“We are thrilled to see a global powerhouse like Microsoft continue to see the value and benefit of growing their operations here in Wisconsin and the booming Southeast region of our state,” Evers said Friday.
The guv’s release also notes Wisconsin being chosen for a regional tech hub around personalized medicine “acted as a catalyst” for Microsoft’s decision to expand its Mount Pleasant footprint.
Meanwhile, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said Wisconsin’s “strengths in workforce, infrastructure, and educational opportunities make it a great place for Microsoft to invest and grow our cloud services.”
Agreements covering the land purchase and proposed project will initially go before the village and county boards this week, according to the release, though no votes will be held yet. Both boards will consider the agreements later in the month. If approved, land transfers are expected to take place before the end of the year.
See details from the village and county: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/village-of-mount-pleasant-racine-county-to-consider-expansion-of-microsoft-datacenter-footprint/
See Evers’ statement: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/37a6b42
–By Alex Moe
