Microsoft to Build $3.3 Billion AI Data Center at Former Foxconn Site

In a strategic move to bolster its AI capabilities, Microsoft has announced plans to construct a new AI data center in Racine, Wisconsin, with an investment of $3.3 billion. The project has political overtones, as Joe Biden’s White House attempts to attack Trump’s economic policies.

PC Mag reports that Microsoft is making a fresh investment in AI by building a new data center in Racine, Wisconsin, with a price tag of $3.3 billion. This move comes after a previous plan by Apple’s Taiwanese third-party iPhone manufacturer, Foxconn, to construct a display screen factory on the same land fell through. Microsoft promises the new data center will create around 2,300 union construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs.

The announcement of the new data center comes as part of Microsoft’s broader commitment to AI development. Microsoft President Brad Smith is set to officially announce the plans in Wisconsin alongside President Joe Biden. The new facility will help Microsoft meet its increasing need for more computing power to fuel its energy-intensive AI projects.

In recent years, AI’s impact on power grids and the climate has become a growing concern. However, Microsoft is continuing its massive AI push, emphasizing the importance of developing this technology for the future. This week, Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott highlighted the company’s commitment to AI development, stating that they have been building “big supercomputers to train AI models” for the past five years.

The new AI data center in Wisconsin will also host a “Datacenter academy” to train 1,000 people in the state for STEM jobs, addressing the growing need for skilled workers in the field. The “Co-Innovation Lab” that Microsoft will build in the state will further contribute to the development of AI technology.

The former Foxconn site was supposed to be home to a 20-million-square-foot factory for television and digital device screens before plans fell apart. Despite spending over $900 million on the project in four years and the state of Wisconsin investing over $200 million, the site remained largely unused.

Read more at PC Mag here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.