On May 8, 2024, Microsoft made an announcement regarding a big investment in the state of Wisconsin. The leading multinational software company is planning to invest $3.3 billion to boost economic growth and artificial intelligence (AI) innovation in the Badger State.
President Joe Biden joined Microsoft’s President Brad Smith at Gateway Technical College to make the official announcement. In the announcement, Biden talks more about the investment and what it means for Wisconsin and he shows support for the Green Bay Packers, so we couldn’t be happier to share it with you.
Feel free to watch the full video, courtesy of NBC News, below:
In this article, we will discuss what the investment money would be used for and why Wisconsin was picked by Microsoft.
Purpose of Investment
The hefty sum of $3.3 billion will be used to create new artificial intelligence infrastructure and to overall increase economic growth in Wisconsin by creating new jobs and hopefully influencing other companies to invest in the state. The project is supposed to be completed by 2026.
Microsoft is planning on building a new data center campus in Mount Pleasant, WI for the purposes of expanding its AI infrastructure and national cloud services. The building of the data center is projected to create over 2,300 construction jobs in the area, and following its opening, new long-term jobs would be available to professionals from Wisconsin.
Microsoft hopes that this new facility would help businesses in Wisconsin and nationwide to develop and improve by using their state-of-the-art AI applications and cloud services.
Besides the data center, Microsoft also announced plans to establish a new AI Co-Innovation Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that will connect manufacturers in Wisconsin with companies using Microsoft’s AI developers in order to design and test AI and cloud services that can help their businesses. The lab is expected to serve 270 Wisconsin companies by 2030.
Said lab will specifically connect with TitletownTech in Green Bay, WI; TitletownTech was founded in 2017 by Microsoft and the football team Green Bay Packers. Microsoft and the Packers are also partnering in the creation of the new lab which will be partially staffed by experts from TitletownTech with CEO and President of the Green Bay Packers, Mark Murphy, enthusiastically sharing the announcement.
Additionally, Microsoft is also planning on building a Data Center Academy at Gateway Technical College (where they made the investment announcement) which will train students who can consequently apply for positions at the Pleasant Mount data center or other IT firms in the region.
What’s more, the software giant announced further educational plans that could create thousands of new AI users in the future. By partnering with United Way Wisconsin and United Way Racine, Microsoft is hoping to educate 100,000 people in Wisconsin on generative AI by 2030. Wisconsinites will be taught how to use various AI applications with the purpose of boosting their productivity and results.
Why Wisconsin
There are a few reasons why Wisconsin was chosen by Microsoft for that big investment. Naturally, it has a lot to do with the existence of TitletownTech and Microsoft’s enduring partnership with the Green Bay Packers.
Moreover, Wisconsin is relatively cheap in comparison to other states which are typically connected to the AI, and more broadly tech, industry. The minimum wage in Wisconsin is $7.25 per hour while the minimum hourly wage in California, home of the Silicon Valley, is $16.
Let us also not forget that Wisconsin has brilliant universities like Wisconsin-Madison and Wisconsin-Milwaukee which are known for their innovations in technology, so the newly created data center and labs would have no issue finding experts in the field. This sentiment was echoed by Microsoft’s President Brad Smith.
It should be noted that an investment of this sort in a state with comparatively undeveloped tech industry (when compared to California, Texas and Massachusetts) would bring positive attention to Microsoft by the state and federal government. It already did, judging by the fact that President Biden made the announcement alongside Microsoft’s Brad Smith.
Microsoft would not only create new jobs for Wisconsinites, but it would also help the local communities by investing in various social programs. The software giant will invest in long-term education and youth employment programs in Wisconsin.
More specifically, Microsoft will fund projects such as Girls in STEM to support and educate female students from Wisconsin by expanding the program to middle schools in the area. The company will also fun the Summer Youth Employment Program of Racine Country which matches local employers with future prospective employees (aged 16-18 years old).
Additionally, Microsoft will support United Way programs by giving grants to local non-profit organizations that help under-resourced communities through technology.
Last, but not least, the Badger State would also benefit from the Microsoft investment in terms of new renewable energy sources. The software company partnered with National Grid and promised to build a new 250-megawatt solar project in Wisconsin which is expected to start operations in 2027.
Conclusion
We are excited for what is to come from the $3.3 billion investment of Microsoft in the state of Wisconsin. What do you make of it? Let us know!
