Wisconsin Data Center Intel

Recent Wisconsin data center news

• Feb 23, 2026

  JLL: Hyperscale and AI Demand Push North American Data Centers Toward Industrial Scale

  JLL has published the North America Data Center Report Year-End 2025 outlining a shift from cyclical real estate behavior to industrial-scale, infrastructure-like growth in digital infrastructure.

  • Key announcement: JLL’s report finds North America at 39 GW installed capacity (19 GW leased colocation, 20 GW hyperscaler-owned) and 35 GW under construction, with vacancy at 1% and 92% of construction pre-leased; JLL also reports 64% of new builds are in frontier markets and highlights potential for Texas (unified) to surpass Northern Virginia by 2030.
  • Background/details: JLL expanded methodology to include owner-occupied hyperscale capacity and 40+ additional markets, resetting baseline; it documents capital market activity including debt origination rising from $27B (2020) to $92B (2025), a $40B consortium acquisition of Aligned Data Centers (expected 2026 close), a $30B Blue Owl–Meta JV, and $17B of asset-backed securities issuance in 2025; it flags multi-year grid interconnection timelines (avg ~4 years), interim use of mobile natural gas turbines, and rising BESS deployments.
• Feb 19, 2026

  Alliant Energy announces 2025 results

  Alliant Energy Corporation announced its consolidated 2025 financial results and reaffirmed 2026 ongoing earnings guidance.

  • Main announcement: Alliant Energy reported GAAP EPS of $3.14 in 2025 (vs $2.69 in 2024) and ongoing EPS of $3.22 in 2025 (vs $3.04 in 2024, 6% growth), and affirmed 2026 ongoing EPS guidance of $3.36 - $3.46. This is presented as an earnings/press release on the company’s investor site.
  • Background and other details: The company stated it renegotiated an electric service agreement with QTS tied to a new project location and referenced its two regulated utilities, Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) and Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL); contact info for media relations and a link to the full investor news release were provided.
• Feb 18, 2026

  Could Texas Overtake Northern Virginia as the Data Center Capital?

  JLL’s latest market analysis reports a structural expansion of the North American data center industry driven by hyperscale and AI demand, with vacancy rates at 1% for the second consecutive year.

  • Key findings & figures: JLL reports 39 GW active capacity and a 35 GW pipeline across North America, with vacancy at 1%; nearly two-thirds of new capacity is being built outside traditional hubs. Texas has 6.5 GW under construction and could overtake Northern Virginia by 2030; there are >10 developments exceeding 1 GW, rents rose 9% in 2025 (and 60% since 2020), most new leases include annual escalations ≥3%, and tenants are targeting deliveries in 2027 or later.
  • Power, timelines & market shifts: Hyperscalers (the top five cloud providers) plan $710 billion in 2026 capex supporting ~35 GW global capacity; OpenAI and Anthropic account for ~10 GW of announced projects. The report highlights grid interconnection timelines of 4+ years, utilities-delivered capacity expected late 2028–2029, and developers pursuing behind-the-meter generation, microgrids, phased deployments, and early collaboration with utilities and governments to accelerate delivery.
• Feb 17, 2026

  Designing Data Centers for the Communities and Natural Environments Where We Operate

  Oracle commits to community-centered design and environmental protections for its AI data center projects.

  • Main announcement/action: Oracle will design and build AI data centers with community and environmental protections including closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling systems, commitments to preserve and enhance on-site land, reduced light and noise impacts, and a financial commitment of $50 million to modernize Doña Ana County’s water system. Oracle also states it will fund any electrical infrastructure upgrades required to service its campuses (not ratepayers), and that daily potable water use at its sites will be similar to a typical office building.

  • Details and site-specific facts:

    • Port Washington, Wisconsin: 672-acre site; 172 acres to be preserved/enhanced; planting more than 2,000 native trees; supporting the Valley Creek Corridor Revitalization Project to restore/protect waterways.
    • Saline Township, Michigan:Three-quarters of the site to remain farmland, wetlands, and open space; buildings sit below road level; sensor-controlled, downward-facing lighting; site noise ~55 decibels at the property line; new stormwater systems will reduce runoff into the Saline River to below current levels.
    • Doña Ana County, New Mexico: closed-loop cooling initial fill will use non-potable water drawn from existing commercial water rights (not community drinking water); $50 million committed to modernize the county water system.
    • Abilene, Texas: data center will utilize excess, low-cost wind energy from the local grid to help stabilize utilization.
• Feb 9, 2026

  Closed-loop cooling in Oracle AI data centers

  Oracle announces it will deploy direct-to-chip, closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling systems at its upcoming AI data centers in New Mexico, Michigan, Texas, and Wisconsin.

  • Main announcement: Oracle will use direct-to-chip, closed-loop, non-evaporative cooling systems at AI data centers in New Mexico, Michigan, Texas, and Wisconsin, designed to remove heat at the server/processor level and avoid continuous consumption of potable water. The design circulates cooling fluid in sealed piping so day-to-day cooling does not depend on adding water.
  • Background and technical details: The cooling loop is initially filled using water delivered via tankers and then operates as a sealed, recirculating system with rare top-offs under abnormal conditions; ongoing daily water use for cooling is stated as effectively zero, and the article cites an Uptime Institute benchmark that conventional evaporative systems can use on the order of millions of gallons per year per megawatt of IT load.
• Feb 9, 2026

  Refrigeración de bucle cerrado en centros de datos de Oracle AI

  Oracle announces it will implement closed-loop, non-evaporative, direct-to-chip cooling in its new AI data centers in several U.S. states.

  • Main announcement: Oracle will deploy closed-loop, non-evaporative, direct-to-chip cooling in AI data centers in New Mexico, Michigan, Texas and Wisconsin; the systems are filled initially via tanker trucks and then operate as a sealed recirculation system, so daily cooling does not consume community potable water.
  • Background and details: The article cites an Uptime Institute estimate that conventional evaporative cooling can use on the order of millions of liters per MW per year; Oracle states that replenishment of coolant is rare and only for abnormal conditions, and that routine water use at the sites is limited to typical office occupancy needs. Oracle also notes local investments including hiring local staff, partnerships with colleges, and funding for infrastructure.
• Feb 5, 2026

  What’s up with data centers in Minnesota?

  Fresh Energy calls on Minnesota regulators and the Public Utilities Commission to adopt policies ensuring data center development benefits Minnesotans and aligns with the state’s 100% clean electricity by 2040 law.

  • Main announcement / action: Fresh Energy urges the Commission to implement better load forecasting, rate design (large-load tariffs), and transparency on water and behind-the-meter generation to ensure data centers pay their fair share; Minnesota currently has 13 operating data centers with 43 MW of capacity and 12 planned projects totaling 1,120 MW (as of January 2026). Key regulatory actions already in motion include Xcel Energy’s large-load tariff filed July 2025 and the Commission requiring Dakota Electric to file an additional tariff in December 2025.

  • Background and details: Fresh Energy cites national context such as data center investment growth from $13.8 billion to $41.2 billion per year and nearly 100 GW of proposed behind-the-meter gas plants nationwide; it recommends using IRP updates, stochastic/scenario-based forecasting, and tariff rate classes so utilities do not overbuild infrastructure or shift costs to residential customers.

• Feb 2, 2026

  AI Data Centers Need Skilled People: Oracle Academy Helps Build AI Careers

  Oracle has announced a programmatic expansion pairing AI data center investments with education and workforce training through Oracle Academy.

  • Main announcement: Oracle is building AI data centers across the United States and hiring thousands of skilled employees, while Oracle Academy will bridge the talent gap by launching Data Center Technician courses to fast-track candidates into frontline roles; targeted states named include Texas, New Mexico, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
  • Background and program details: Oracle Academy (nearly 30 years of operation) provides curriculum, cloud technologies, software, and hands-on labs; recent launches include AI and machine learning in Java, generative AI workshops, and hands-on analytics and AI labs. In Texas Oracle Academy works with more than 130 institutions and nearly 350 faculty members; New Mexico partnerships include New Mexico State University and University of New Mexico.
• Jan 30, 2026

  Oracle may slash up to 30,000 jobs to fund AI data-center expansion as US banks retreat

  Oracle is considering workforce cuts and selling Cerner to alleviate financing pressure, according to TD Cowen.

  • Main action: TD Cowen reports Oracle is weighing 20,000–30,000 job cuts (to free $8–$10 billion in cash flow) and a potential sale of Cerner (acquired for $28.3 billion in 2022) to address financing shortfalls tied to an estimated $156 billion infrastructure capital requirement.
  • Background/details:US banks have pulled back from financing Oracle-linked data-center projects (raising borrowing costs and stalling leases); Oracle raised ~$58 billion of debt recently ($38 billion for Texas and Wisconsin facilities; $20 billion for New Mexico), while Asian banks remain willing to lend at premium rates; TD Cowen highlights slowed US data-center procurement and measures Oracle is pursuing such as 40% upfront deposits and BYOC arrangements.
• Jan 29, 2026

  The Data Center Surge Has a Hidden Source of Carbon Emissions

  Tech companies are becoming buyers of low-carbon concrete as US data center construction surges.

  • Main announcement: Major tech firms (notably Microsoft and Amazon) are securing low-carbon concrete supply and forming buyer coalitions to reduce embodied emissions in data center construction; Microsoft agreed to purchase up to 622,500 metric tons of cement from Sublime Systems over six to nine years, and Amazon has a deal with Brimstone and is using low-carbon concrete in data centers in Virginia and Oregon.
  • Background and details:RMI projects data center expansion through 2030 will require 2 million metric tons of cement (traditional concrete would emit 1.9 million metric tons CO2); the Sustainable Concrete Buyers Alliance was launched in September by RMI and the Center for Green Market Activation with members including Amazon, Meta, and Prologis; the Inflation Reduction Act had earmarked roughly $1.6 billion for green concrete support which was later pulled, and Sublime cited an $87 million government funding loss and paused its Holyoke factory (laid off 10% of staff).