Community Resources
Resources for an Informed Conversation
Good decisions start with good information. We’ve gathered trusted, publicly available resources to help Wisconsin residents, local leaders, and journalists understand data centers—how they work, what they mean for our communities, and the questions worth asking. Explore the materials below to learn directly from the research, data, and explainers shaping this conversation.
Resource Categories
Planning, Community Engagement, and Local Decision Making
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Shaping the Future of Data Center Development: A Strategic Playbook for Local Governments
Read More: Shaping the Future of Data Center Development: A Strategic Playbook for Local GovernmentsThe U.S. data center market is growing at a breakneck pace, driven by rising demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing,…
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The local implications of data centers for rural communities in the US
Read More: The local implications of data centers for rural communities in the USMarket and geopolitical forces are accelerating the race to develop artificial intelligence (AI), and the rapidly rising demand for computing…
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Local Governments are Learning How to Negotiate With Data Center Developers
Read More: Local Governments are Learning How to Negotiate With Data Center DevelopersIn August, the Tucson, Arizona City Council voted unanimously to oppose Project Blue, the code name for a proposed $3.6…
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Local Guidelines for Data Center Development
Read More: Local Guidelines for Data Center DevelopmentThis paper seeks to demystify data centers and their purpose while offering a balanced model zoning ordinance for data center…
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Zoning and Land Use Considerations for Data Centers
Read More: Zoning and Land Use Considerations for Data CentersAs demand for cloud computing, streaming, AI applications, and enterprise digital services continues to grow, data centers have become essential…
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Data Centers in Virginia
Read More: Data Centers in VirginiaData centers provide positive benefits to Virginia’s economy mostly because of the industry’s substantial capital investment. The primary benefit comes…
Understanding Water Usage
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Data Centers and Water Consumption
Read More: Data Centers and Water ConsumptionData centers have a thirst for water, and their rapid expansion threatens freshwater supplies. Only 3% of Earth’s water is…
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Closed-loop cooling in Oracle AI data centers
Read More: Closed-loop cooling in Oracle AI data centersWhen a new data center comes to a community, one of the first questions that comes up is: “Are you…
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A Guide to Data Center Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) and Best Practices
Read More: A Guide to Data Center Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) and Best PracticesUsing energy efficiently is one important component of data center sustainability. But water usage plays an equally critical role in…
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Responsible water use at ourdatacenters is a key part ofour Datacenter CommunityPledge and our corporatecommitments
Read More: Responsible water use at ourdatacenters is a key part ofour Datacenter CommunityPledge and our corporatecommitmentsAs a company, Microsoft has committed to being water positive by 2030.Microsoft will reduce the water we use in our…
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From energy hogs to eco-havens
Read More: From energy hogs to eco-havensToday’s massive data centers have become a necessary evil in our information-driven lives. Here are a handful of ideas that…
Energy Use & Grid Impacts
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PSC Overhauls We Energies’ Data Center Tariff, Makes Improvementsto Protect Existing Customers
Read More: PSC Overhauls We Energies’ Data Center Tariff, Makes Improvementsto Protect Existing CustomersThe Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) today took up We Energies’ Very Large Customer (VLC) and Bespoke Resources Tariff…
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New UCS Report: Powering Wisconsin Data Centers with Clean Energy Could Avoid Billions in Climate, Health Costs
Read More: New UCS Report: Powering Wisconsin Data Centers with Clean Energy Could Avoid Billions in Climate, Health CostsData centers are coming to Wisconsin, requiring massive amounts of electricity at a time when household bills are already on…
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From energy hogs to eco-havens
Read More: From energy hogs to eco-havensToday’s massive data centers have become a necessary evil in our information-driven lives. Here are a handful of ideas that…
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EPRI Win‑Win Watts
Read More: EPRI Win‑Win WattsConcludes that new load (e.g., data centers) can lower or raise electricity prices depending on whether incremental system costs are…
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CRA – Retail Rate Trends in the U.S.
Read More: CRA – Retail Rate Trends in the U.S.Finds that U.S. retail electricity rates are largely stable and region-specific, with increases driven by localized cost factors—not a broad…
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Brattle – Large Loads in IA & WI
Read More: Brattle – Large Loads in IA & WIShows that large loads can support affordability if properly structured, with price impacts hinging on whether incremental revenues exceed infrastructure…
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Understanding the Drivers of Rising Electricity Rates and the Role of Data Centers
Read More: Understanding the Drivers of Rising Electricity Rates and the Role of Data CentersAs electricity use in the U.S. grows for the first time in decades, many households are seeing higher energy bills.…
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DATA CENTER ENTRY AND U.S. ELECTRICITY PRICES: FROM THE WHOLESALE MARKET TO THE POWER BILL
Read More: DATA CENTER ENTRY AND U.S. ELECTRICITY PRICES: FROM THE WHOLESALE MARKET TO THE POWER BILLData centers are the fastest-growing source of new electricity demand in the United States. Reserve margins have declined and both…
Noise Mitigation
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Update on our investigation of humming sound at our Mount Pleasant datacenter
Read More: Update on our investigation of humming sound at our Mount Pleasant datacenterOver the past several weeks, as we have begun to bring equipment online at the Mount Pleasant “Fairwater 1” datacenter,…
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Data centers challenge communities: revising noise ordinances for balance
Read More: Data centers challenge communities: revising noise ordinances for balanceRising concerns across the US over noise emissions from existing and proposed data centers are prompting a review of local…
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Minimizing noise at 0ur datacenter operations
Read More: Minimizing noise at 0ur datacenter operationsWhen Microsoft joins a community to host a datacenter, we bring our commitments for a better world. Microsoft datacenter operations…
Economic Impact
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Turning the data center boom into long-term, local prosperity
Read More: Turning the data center boom into long-term, local prosperityThe AI goldrush roars on. Hyperscalers like Google and artificial intelligence (AI) upstarts like OpenAI continue to pour massive sums…
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The data center balance: How US states can navigate the opportunities and challenges
Read More: The data center balance: How US states can navigate the opportunities and challengesState governments will need to balance a complex range of costs and a full view of the benefits as they…
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Economic Contributions of Data Centers in the United States
Read More: Economic Contributions of Data Centers in the United StatesData centers play an increasingly prominent role in digital infrastructure across many industries, reflecting rising data volumes and expanded use…
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Demonstrating the local benefits of AI infrastructure in Wisconsin
Read More: Demonstrating the local benefits of AI infrastructure in WisconsinDatacenters are essential digital infrastructure for enabling economic growth. They underpin the digital economy by supporting everyday services used by…