Microsoft Backs Off New Data Center After Small Wisconsin Town Backlash

Chamath Palihapitiya Says Hyperscalers Like Microsoft, Google Need To Cushion Rising Power Bills Or 'See A Lot More Pushback' - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Chamath Palihapitiya warned that Big Tech firms such as Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) could face growing backlash from local communities unless they act to offset rising electricity rates tied to massive AI data center expansion.

Microsoft Backs Off New Data Center After Small Wisconsin Town Backlash

The company dropped plans for a 244-acre project as resource-intensive data centers spread across the country.

Racine County Exec Malicki Expresses Surprise that Microsoft's Plan for Caledonia Site Didn't Work Out

Oct. 11, 2025 9a (WGTD)---Racine County Executive Ralph Malicki says he’s a bit surprised at the pushback in Caledonia that led to Microsoft abandoning a site they had selected for a data center.  Malicki appeared on WPR’s ‘Wisconsin Today’ last week. He noted that the reception Microsoft has received for its data center plan in Mt. Pleasant is markedly different. And Malicki said he fully supports that development. "They're doing things that th…

Microsoft cancels Wisconsin data center after community pushback — 244-acre Caledonia site on hold, but Redmond says it remains committed to the region

Microsoft is canceling its plans to build a data center near the Oak Creek Power Plant after the community rallied against its plans.