thanks very much. >> Thank you.
>> In Ozaukee County, one of the largest data centers in
the U.S. Could soon be part of the landscape. Port
Washington officials are advancing plans for a
proposed 900 acre data center campus. That data
center under consideration is joining the list of such
developments in Wisconsin. Because it turns out we have
the perfect conditions. Here's a story produced by
“Here& Now” reporter intern Jane McCauley on how water
and climate factor into data center siting decisions.
Wisconsin is rich in one of the most important natural
resources. Water. >> We are projected to be
relatively water rich in the coming decades.
>> But a new technological frontier could test the
waters. >> Data centers,
particularly AI data centers, need a lot of water.
>> Data centers are popping up around the state. They
run artificial intelligence data and store information.
Mi Barrilleaux, communications director of
Clean Wisconsin, cautions that the long term
environmental impacts remain uncharted territory.
>> We need to pay attention to how much withdrawals are
happening. We have a lot of competing interests for that.
Water communities, farming businesses, manufacturing,
and now AI data centers coming in to access some of
that water. >> Wisconsin has become a
destination for new data centers because of the
extreme heat they generate, requiring cooler climates
and lots of water to regulate their temperatures.
That's why companies are eyeing Wisconsin for its
climate and water. >> A lot of people don't
really realize the impact that this kind of heavy
computing is having on our environment and could
potentially have on our really critical water
systems. valuable resources on this
planet. >> Annette Zimmerman is a
political philosophy professor who focuses on AI
ethics and use. >> We're dealing with a
small number of people and companies who are able to
decide, oh, we're now going to operate in this
environment, and nobody really can argue against us
because we have very limited competition and almost no
regulation. >> For its part, Microsoft
and Meta are already investing billions of
dollars into AI infrastructure in Wisconsin.
Microsoft says the Mount Pleasant Data Center will
provide jobs and tax revenue, saying the project
is expected to bring an influx of 2300 union
construction jobs to the area by 2025, as well as
providing long term employment opportunities
over the next several years. Missy Hughes, secretary of
the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation,
discussed the initial construction in a 2023 here
and Now interview. >> Well, having a company
like Microsoft, a blue chip, a true blue chip, American
company decide to create such an opportunity in
Wisconsin is incredibly important and really
exciting. It brings in high tech, artificial
intelligence, all of these things that we see in the
economy of the future. And so Microsoft, Microsoft
choosing Wisconsin is really a testament to what we've
done to create the workforce that they need to create the
infrastructure that they need. And we're so excited
to have them here. >> More recently,
construction in Mount Pleasant has been on and
off, but is expected to finish by the end of 2026.
When it comes to water usage, Microsoft says it has
plans to replenish the water. It is used by 2030
and be net positive in 2022. Their global usage was more
than 1.5 billion gallons of water, a 34% jump from the
year prior. Microsoft declined an interview, but
provided this statement about sustainability. Quote,
we made ambitious commitments in 2020. These
commitments are rooted in science and take the
necessary steps to protect our ecosystems and prevent
the most severe impacts of climate change. Our data
center facilities in Mount Pleasant will not require
ongoing access to large quantities of water. This is
because the facilities have been designed with a closed
loop cooling system that employs a combination of
cooling chemicals and recycled water. Data centers
expect to provide short term employment for Wisconsin.
Longer term, Wedwick expects spin off development that
generates increased property tax revenue. As for
environmental impacts, Barrio and Zimmerman argue
they may not be seen for years to come.
>> People get uneasy when they start realizing that
this resource that means so much could be harder and
harder to get, and we don't want to get in that
situation. we don't know. And that's
because we can't fully predict what the next wave
of innovating in the generative AI space will