Made in Wisconsin: The world's most advanced AI datacenter
In Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, a new AI datacenter is nearing completion. Construction is on track to bring the facility online in early 2026, fulfilling an initial $3.3 billion commitment. An additional $4 billion is now committed to build a second facility of similar scale, bringing total investment in Wisconsin to more than $7 billion.
What's being built
This facility is engineered to train the next decade of AI systems. It will run hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs in large-scale clusters, linked by enough fiber to circle the Earth four times. The design targets training performance up to ten times faster than today's top supercomputers.
The goal isn't just to run models-it's to create them. Teams will be able to experiment faster, iterate safely, and push new breakthroughs in medicine, science, and industry from right here in Wisconsin.
- Scale: Hundreds of thousands of GPUs in unified clusters
- Throughput: Up to 10x current supercomputer training performance
- Network: Fiber capacity equivalent to four trips around the globe
Learn more about modern data center GPUs here: NVIDIA Data Center.
Jobs, skills, and local opportunity
At peak, more than 3,000 union construction workers have been on site-electricians, plumbers and pipefitters, carpenters, structural iron and steel workers, concrete specialists, and heavy equipment operators. Once the first datacenter is fully operational, about 500 full-time roles will be in place, growing to roughly 800 with the second facility.
Wisconsin's first Datacenter Academy at Gateway Technical College is training more than 1,000 students over five years for high-demand roles. Across the state, over 40 partners-including the United Way, the University of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Technical College System-have worked with Gener8tor to train 114,000 people in AI skills, including 1,400 in Racine County.
On the UW-Milwaukee campus, the nation's first manufacturing-focused AI Co-Innovation Lab (in partnership with WEDC, Gateway Technical College, and TitletownTech) has already helped 23 Wisconsin companies-from Regal Rexnord and Renaissant to BW Converting-turn AI ideas into working solutions. Some, like Wiscon Products in Racine County, are building on decades of local manufacturing expertise.
To widen access, broadband has been expanded to 9,300 rural residents, and next-generation service now reaches 1,200 homes and businesses in Sturtevant.
Built for efficiency and environmental care
More than 90% of the facility relies on a closed-loop liquid cooling system, filled during construction and continuously recirculated. The remaining portion uses outside air most days and switches to water only during peak heat. Annual water use is modest-roughly what a typical restaurant uses in a year, or what an 18-hole golf course uses in a single peak-summer week.
To keep local energy prices stable, the datacenter is pre-paying for the energy and electrical infrastructure it will use. Every kilowatt-hour from fossil sources will be matched one-for-one with carbon-free energy added to the grid. A new 250 MW solar project in Portage County is underway to support this commitment, alongside an ongoing partnership with WE Energies to enhance transmission, generation, and usage under transparent tariffs that support grid reliability.
Environmental restoration is underway with Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network (WIN), funding 20 projects in Racine and Kenosha counties- including Cliffside Park along Lake Michigan, Lamparek Creek in Mount Pleasant, Kirkorian Park in the Village of Sturtevant, and the Shagbark Restoration Area in Kenosha. Learn more about the organization here: Root-Pike WIN.
Why this matters for builders, IT, and developers
- Construction and operations: Long-term roles in facilities, electrical, mechanical, networking, and security.
- IT and platform teams: Careers in data center operations, site reliability, and infrastructure automation.
- Developers and data teams: Access to training-grade compute through local partnerships to test ideas faster and bring AI into real products.
- Local businesses: Co-innovation with engineers to turn prototypes into production-ready solutions.
Key numbers at a glance
- $7B+ total committed investment in Wisconsin
- 2026 target to bring the first facility online
- 3,000+ peak construction jobs; 500 full-time roles at first facility, growing to ~800 with the second
- 250 MW new solar supporting one-for-one carbon-free matching
- 20 funded ecological restoration projects across Racine and Kenosha counties
- 114,000 people trained in AI skills statewide; 1,000+ students in Datacenter Academy over five years
- 9,300 rural residents and 1,200 Sturtevant homes/businesses with improved broadband
Next steps
Wisconsin is building an AI hub that creates real jobs, real skills, and real outcomes for local companies. If you want to upgrade your AI skills or help your team adopt practical AI, explore structured learning paths and certifications here: AI courses by job and popular AI certifications.
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