Village officials in Mount Pleasant remain optimistic that the pause will not lead to a situation similar to Foxconn's, as Microsoft has been transparent about its construction timeline and is ahead of schedule in fulfilling financial commitments. The company continues with other projects in the area, such as the "AI Co-Innovation Lab" with the University of Wisconsin. The review process may require renegotiating building permits, but Microsoft plans to proceed with its datacenter campus development.
Key takeaways:
- Microsoft has paused early construction work on the second phase of its datacenter campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, to evaluate new technologies and their impact on design.
- Village officials remain optimistic that the construction pause will not lead to a Foxconn-level debacle and believe it won't affect the overall scope or nature of Microsoft's project.
- Microsoft is exploring new closed-loop water cooling technology to reduce its water footprint, which may be a factor in the design review process.
- Despite the pause, Microsoft plans to invest $3.3 billion in the project by the end of 2026 and complete one of its largest hyperscale data centers in Mount Pleasant as originally planned.