Microsoft announces "world's most powerful data center" in latest billion-dollar AI spending splurge

Date:
Fri, 19 Sep 2025 12:03:00 +0000

Description:
The worlds most powerful AI data center will open its first facility in early 2026.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Microsof t declares its Wisconsin data center is 10x more powerful than todays supercomputers The company will have invested more than $7 billion into the project Its first facility will open in early 2026, a second comes within three years

Microsoft has lifted the wraps off what its calling the worlds most powerful AI data center in Wisconsin, which the company says is set to be 10x more powerful than todays fastest supercomputer.

At its core will be hundreds of thousands of Nvidia GPUs, all connected by enough fiber to wrap around the planet four times over, and its all in preparation to train next-generation frontier models.

However, responding to the learnings weve been taught so far, Microsoft is making big advancements in terms of sustainability to make this data center less damaging than the ones that came before. The worlds most powerful AI
data center

Microsoft President Brad Smith explained the center will be 90% cooled with recirculated liquid using a closed-loop system with zero operational water waste the remaining 10% of cooling power will come from outside air.

Smith compared the projected water usage to that of a single restaurants annual consumption.

Microsoft will also use pre-paid renewable energy to match every kWh from fossil fuels with carbon-free energy while it builds out a vast 250MW solar project to support the facility.

And this isnt some long-term investment or a sign of things to come an initial $3.3 billion investment will have the first facility live by early 2026. Another $4 billion investment will open a second facility within three years.

Smith also boasted about Microsofts local ecological efforts, such as restoring prairie and wetland habitats across Racine and Kenosha counties and further restoration work near Lake Michigan, LamparekCreek, Kirkorian Park
and Shagbark Restoration Area.

Apart from the 500 full-time employees set to hold roles at the first campus, and the additional 300 at the second campus, Microsoft also indirectly supported 3,000 jobs during peak construction.

The 315-acre site will form part of a network of over 400 Microsoft data centers in 70 regions, with further plans to partner with nScale to build the UKs largest supercomputer showing that Microsoft has no plans to slow down. You might also like Access the most powerful chips with the best cloud computing providers Microsoft shelves another $1bn data center project as tariff fears rise Check out the best AI tools and best AI writers



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/microsoft-announces-worlds-most-powerful-data-ce nter-in-latest-billion-dollar-ai-spending-splurge


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