Project Bulletin: May 13, 2024

Microsoft purchased more than 1,000 acres of Foxconn’s site in 2023.

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With $3.3 billion in tow, Microsoft has plans to deliver a state-of-the-art data center campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. In late 2023, it was announced that Microsoft would be acquiring two facilities previously owned by Taiwan-based electronics company Foxconn, which failed to deliver its $10 billion commitment. This move by Microsoft brings new life to the six-year-old site. By 2026, the company plans to begin operations at its new data center complex. The company will partner with Gateway Technical College to construct a Data Center Academy that will impact over 1,000 students within the next five years. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus will introduce the first AI Co-Innovation Lab that will bring together Microsoft’s AI experts with 270 local manufacturers and businesses to learn and apply AI and cloud solutions. Age plays no role in building a robust talent pipeline, which means that further upskilling programs and new K-12 STEM education programs are to join the mix for a widespread impact throughout the state.

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This project will create more than 1,150 new jobs in Baja California, Mexico.

Photo courtesy of Daikin Applied

As data center activity continues to take off throughout North America, there’s no better time for commercial and industrial HVAC systems manufacturer Daikin Applied to support these initiatives. Daikin Applied will partner with its California-based parent company Alliance Air Products to construct a 460,000-sq.-ft. HVAC and computer room air handler (CRAH) manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico. The $121 million project investment aims to reach customers in the west and southwest regions of the U.S. and Mexico. “This is a critical moment for the HVAC industry not just to increase capacity for data center solutions, but to help data centers increase efficiency and sustainability in their energy use and cooling situations,” said Daikin Applied Americas COO Yu Nishiwaki. “This manufacturing expansion underscores our commitment to help our customers identify sustainability opportunities and achieve, or even surpass, their decarbonization design goals.” The project is expected to become operational in late 2025.

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With its latest UK investment, Amazon is bringing its regional workforce total to more than 10,000 employees.

Photo courtesy of Amazon

Over $600 million will go toward Amazon’s latest large-scale fulfillment center landing in England’s East Midlands region. For Amazon, investing in the town of Northampton will aid in reaching over 6,000 small to mid-size enterprise selling partners. Integration of advanced technology will aid the facility’s productivity but not without the support of 2,000 new roles. The company will look to hire a number of employees to fill engineering, HR, IT, finance and safety management jobs. Construction will take place over the next two years at the SERGO Logistics Park Northampton and will begin accepting orders in 2026.

Reports compiled and written by Alexis Elmore, edited by Adam Bruns