Wisconsin Data Centers
Milwaukee Colocation, Port Washington’s Lighthouse Campus, Microsoft in Mount Pleasant, Meta in Beaver Dam, and Wisconsin’s Data Center Rules
Wisconsin has become one of the Midwest’s biggest AI build-outs, while Milwaukee remains its colocation market. We find the Wisconsin space that fits your power, connectivity and date.
Price My Wisconsin RequirementSearches for Milwaukee colocation and data centers in Wisconsin come from Wisconsin enterprises in manufacturing, healthcare, finance and insurance leaving in-house server rooms, companies placing a recovery site within reach of Chicago, and teams following the state’s AI build-out. This page covers Milwaukee colocation, the large projects, Wisconsin’s tax rules and how to get space at the right rate. For larger deployments, Wisconsin is usually compared with Chicago and Minnesota. If another market fits your requirement better, we will say so.
Sources: DatacenterDynamics and ENR (Port Washington); Microsoft (Mount Pleasant); Area Development (Beaver Dam); Data Center Map (Data Holdings). As of October 2026.
Milwaukee Colocation: Where the Options Are
Milwaukee colocation is a small, enterprise-focused market of a handful of carrier-neutral buildings, a short drive from Chicago’s much larger market.
| Location | Data centers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| West Highland Boulevard, Milwaukee | Data Holdings: a 46,000-square-foot, two-story multi-tenant facility with 10 MW of 2N utility capacity, private suites from 1,000 square feet and carrier-neutral meet-me rooms | Enterprise colocation, private suites and recovery sites |
| 324 East Wisconsin Avenue, downtown | The Wells Building, the downtown interconnection building, with network operators including Cogent on site | Carrier access and network-heavy deployments |
| Elsewhere in the metro | Smaller carrier-neutral operators, including Vaultas | Cabinets and recovery sites |
| Chicago, about 90 miles south | The Midwest’s main interconnection market; see our Chicago guide | Larger deployments and dense interconnection |
Sources: Data Center Map, Inflect. We confirm availability and specifications on every search.
Sources: DatacenterDynamics; Microsoft; Area Development. Figures as of October 2026. Free to cite with a link to this page.
We find which market fits your networks, latency and budget, and who has room on your date.
Milwaukee is a common second site for Chicago companies; we check the distance, carriers and power against your plan.
Rate, power, cross-connects, escalators and renewal terms negotiated up front.
The provider you choose pays us. Your rate is not marked up, and you'll hear back within 24 hours.
Milwaukee Data Centers: Data Holdings and Downtown
Data Holdings is Milwaukee’s main multi-tenant facility: a purpose-built, LEED Gold, two-story building of 46,000 square feet with 10 MW of 2N utility capacity, generator backup, private suites from 1,000 square feet and access to regional and national carriers through carrier-neutral meet-me rooms. Downtown, the Wells Building at 324 East Wisconsin Avenue houses several network operators and serves as the city’s interconnection point. Most Milwaukee requirements are cabinets, cages and small suites; larger and denser deployments usually compare Milwaukee with Chicago.
Sources: Data Center Map, Inflect.
Wisconsin’s Large Data Center Projects
Port Washington: the Lighthouse campus
Vantage Data Centers, OpenAI and Oracle are building Lighthouse, a $15 billion-plus campus in Port Washington, north of Milwaukee, as part of the Stargate program. The first phase puts four data centers on 672 acres of a 1,900-acre site supplied by powered land developer Cloverleaf Infrastructure, delivering close to a gigawatt of AI capacity by 2028 with closed-loop liquid cooling. Vantage is paying for the power infrastructure under a dedicated rate from We Energies.
Sources: DatacenterDynamics, ENR, Verdict.
Mount Pleasant: Microsoft Fairwater
Microsoft built Fairwater, an AI data center for training frontier models, on land in Mount Pleasant once planned for Foxconn. The first data center, a $3.3 billion investment, came online in early 2026; a second of similar size adds $4 billion, taking Microsoft past $7 billion in Wisconsin. In January 2026 the village approved plans for 15 more Microsoft data centers.
Sources: Microsoft, W.Media, WPR, Wisconsin Watch via Urban Milwaukee.
Beaver Dam: Meta
Meta is building a $1 billion data center in Beaver Dam, on a site of about 560 acres. State regulators approved a rate contract for the project with Alliant Energy and required Alliant to set rates for all data center-scale customers.
Sources: Area Development, The Daily Reporter, WPR.
Wisconsin Data Center Tax Rules
| Current rule | |
|---|---|
| Sales and use tax exemption | Created by 2023 Wisconsin Act 19: qualifying data centers are exempt from the state’s 5% sales and use tax on equipment, cooling, construction materials and electricity |
| Investment thresholds | At least $150 million over five years in counties of more than 100,000 people, $100 million in counties of 50,000 to 100,000, and $50 million in smaller counties, certified by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation |
| Data center electricity rates | Regulators approved We Energies’ rates for data center-scale customers, and required Alliant Energy to set rates for all such customers in its territory |
Sources: WEDC, Wisconsin Watch via Urban Milwaukee, WPR, Wisconsin Legislative Council.
What matters for a colocation tenant: whether the exemption reaches equipment you buy depends on how the operator and its tenants are certified, and Wisconsin lawmakers have debated how multi-tenant colocation buildings qualify. Ask the operator in writing what is certified and whether it covers your equipment.
Send the GPU model or megawatts, power per rack, location and date. You'll hear back within 24 hours. The provider you choose pays us, so it costs you nothing.
Milwaukee Colocation Pricing
Milwaukee is a smaller market than Chicago, and pricing reflects the building, the power per cabinet, the term and how many carriers you need. Private suites at Data Holdings and cabinets downtown price differently, and a recovery site priced alongside a Chicago primary is often where the best total cost appears. Providers do not publish list prices. Compare what you are offered against current market ranges in our colocation pricing guide, and see data center cost for what it costs to build instead.
Who Wisconsin Colocation Suits
Wisconsin enterprises
Manufacturing, healthcare, insurance and finance companies leaving in-house server rooms for a Wisconsin data center close to the office.
Recovery sites
Chicago and Midwest companies placing a second site a short drive away on a different grid. See disaster recovery colocation.
AI and GPU teams
Teams placing GPU servers in the region. See AI and GPU colocation and GPU rental.
Wisconsin and Nearby Markets
For larger deployments or more carrier choice, the usual comparisons are Chicago, Minnesota and Michigan. See the provider comparison for how operators differ, and cloud repatriation if you are moving workloads out of the cloud.
How We Find You Space in Wisconsin
You send the requirement
Location, power, cabinet count, the networks you need, and date. You'll hear back within 24 hours.
We check what fits
Which Wisconsin building has the space, power and connections for your date.
We negotiate and you sign
Rate, power, cross-connects, term and exit terms negotiated before you sign. The provider you choose pays us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the data centers in Wisconsin?
Colocation centers on Milwaukee, while large AI campuses are being built in Port Washington, Mount Pleasant and Beaver Dam.
What is the Port Washington data center?
Lighthouse, a $15 billion-plus campus being built by Vantage Data Centers with OpenAI and Oracle as part of Stargate: four data centers on a 1,900-acre site delivering close to a gigawatt of AI capacity by 2028.
Who is building the Port Washington data center?
Vantage Data Centers, with OpenAI and Oracle, on a site supplied by Cloverleaf Infrastructure. We Energies is providing power under a dedicated rate that Vantage pays for.
What is Microsoft building in Mount Pleasant?
Fairwater, an AI data center campus. The first $3.3 billion data center came online in early 2026, a second adds $4 billion, and the village approved plans for 15 more data centers in January 2026.
Is Meta building a data center in Beaver Dam?
Yes. Meta is building a $1 billion data center in Beaver Dam, on a site of about 560 acres, with a power contract with Alliant Energy.
Where can I get colocation in Milwaukee?
Data Holdings runs a 46,000-square-foot, 10 MW multi-tenant facility on West Highland Boulevard, and the Wells Building at 324 East Wisconsin Avenue is the downtown interconnection building. Smaller operators, including Vaultas, also offer space.
Does Wisconsin give data centers a tax break?
Yes. 2023 Wisconsin Act 19 exempts qualifying data centers from the 5% state sales and use tax on equipment, cooling, construction materials and electricity, with investment thresholds from $50 million to $150 million depending on county size.
How much does colocation in Milwaukee cost?
Providers do not publish prices. Pricing depends on the building, power per cabinet, term and carriers. Our colocation pricing guide has current market ranges.
Is Milwaukee a good recovery site for Chicago?
Often, yes. It is about 90 miles from Chicago, on a different utility, with carrier-neutral buildings, which suits a second site for Chicago-based companies.
Can I get high-density or AI colocation in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin’s new AI campuses are built for single large tenants, and Milwaukee’s existing space was built mainly for enterprise loads. We confirm which buildings in Wisconsin and Chicago can take your rack density on your date.
Do you charge for finding Wisconsin colocation?
No. The provider you choose pays us from its channel budget, and your rate is not marked up. You'll hear back within 24 hours.
Price Your Wisconsin Requirement
Tell us the location, power, cabinet count, the networks you need and the date. You'll hear back within 24 hours with the Wisconsin space that fits. No cost, no obligation, and the provider you choose pays us.
Once you have contacted a provider directly, it usually will not work through an advisor on your deal. That is what keeps every option open, and the provider you choose pays us, so it costs you nothing.
Wisconsin and nearby: Chicago, Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana.
Costs and contracts: colocation pricing guide, data center lease, data center cost and data center connectivity.
AI, scale and cloud: AI and GPU colocation, GPU rental, wholesale colocation and cloud repatriation.
Developers and investors: data center consulting, data center due diligence and powered land.
Choosing space: site selection, data center tiers and compliance.
