Microsoft To Build In Wisconsin

Microsoft has agreed to buy a $50 million parcel of land in southeastern Wisconsin meant for Foxconn after the world’s largest electronics manufacturer failed to fulfill promises to build a massive facility that would employ thousands of workers.

Microsoft plans to build a $1 billion data center on the 315-acre parcel in Mount Pleasant, a village of about 27,000 people in Racine County, about 30 miles south of Milwaukee.

A Foxconn Technology Group manufacturing facility already exists in the village, and the company announced plans in 2017 to build a $10 billion facility that would employ 13,000 people.

The state agreed to provide Foxconn with nearly $3 billion in tax breaks. The company never delivered on its promises and Gov. Tony Evers scaled back the tax breaks to $80 million contingent on the number of jobs created and investments. The company qualified for just $8.6 million in tax credits last year after creating 768 eligible jobs and making a $77.4 million capital investment by the end of 2021.

Microsoft must begin the first phase of construction by July 2026 and begin the second phase by July 2033.