Microsoft has revealed an investment page designed to help its presence in Southeast Wisconsin, a hub for AI economic activity and job creation, the company said today in a press release. These 3.3 Billion dollar investments in cloud computing and AI infrastructure are part of creating the country’s first manufacturing lab focused on AI. This project is designed to equip residents with essential AI skills.
“Wisconsin has a rich and storied legacy of innovation and ingenuity in manufacturing,” said Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft. “We will use the power of AI to help advance the next generation of manufacturing companies, skills and jobs in Wisconsin and across the country. This is what a big company can do to build a strong foundation for every medium, small and start-up company and non-profit everywhere.”
Microsoft will invest 3.3B between now and the end of 2026 to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure on the Mount Plesant, Wisconsin campus. The project is expected to bring about 2,300 union construction jobs as soon as 2025. Microsoft will also partner with Gateway Technical College to build a Data Center Academy and train more than 1,000 students to work at the data center in the next five years. Microsoft will also be adding a manufacturing-focused AI Co-Innovation lab on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the first of its kind to help connect businesses with AI.
President Biden is also getting involved with the White House, issuing press releases saying the data center is on the same space Foxconn promised to use in 2017 to build LCD screens, but that project was not completed. Foxconn was expected to bring 13,000 jobs to the area.
