Meta announces $1 billion data center in Beaver Dam

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Meta has been revealed as the user behind a $1 billion, 500-acre data center campus in Beaver Dam.

Gov. Tony Evers, Meta and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. on Wednesday announced the tech giant, operator of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, is the investor behind an artificial-intelligence-optimized data center.

“Wisconsin is a leader when it comes to biohealth and advanced manufacturing industries, and we’re excited to keep building upon this tradition as we become the home to new world-changing technology,” Evers said in a statement. “This investment will help ensure Wisconsin is meeting the demands of the 21st century and creating good, family-supporting jobs to support the workforce in the Beaver Dam community and across the greater region. Wisconsin must stay one step ahead in harnessing AI technologies to remain a national and international leader in this work, and this announcement will help us continue to do just that.”

This will be Meta’s first data center in Wisconsin, said Brad Davis, director of data center community and economic development at Meta, in a statement. The project will be located in Alliant Energy‘s Beaver Dam Commerce Park.

“This is the perfect home for Meta for several reasons, including great local talent, strong community partnerships and reliable infrastructure,” he added. “We are excited to become part of the Beaver Dam community, and we look forward to a strong partnership with the city and the state for years to come.”

Meta expects the project will have more than 1,000 skilled trade jobs on site at peak construction, officials said. The data center is expected to come online in 2027, after which it will support more than 100 operational jobs, they added.

“I’m excited for the positive things this project brings to Beaver Dam, including the increased tax base and additional jobs,” said Beaver Dam Mayor Bobbi Marck in a statement. “I am pleased to partner with a company that has a strong commitment to environmental stewardship and charitable giving, and I also look forward to building a strong partnership with Meta so that together we can continue to enhance our community.”

Data center campus will be more than 700,000 square feet, Meta teams with conservation partners

The data center campus will be more than 700,000 square feet and its buildings will aim for LEED Gold certification, officials said. The site’s electricity use will be matched with 100% clean and renewable energy, although officials didn’t disclose how much power the site will use.
Meta will also underwrite nearly $200 million in energy infrastructure investments including network upgrades, utility substations and transmission lines, officials added.

Meta will donate $15 million to Alliant Energy’s Hometown Care Energy Fund, which provides energy cost assistance to families, over the next ten years, officials said. Alliant Energy serves Beaver Dam.

“Meta has a goal to be water-positive in 2030, meaning the company will restore more water than it consumes. As part of this, Meta will restore 100% of the water consumed by the Beaver Dam data center to local watersheds. Additionally, the facility will use dry cooling, which means that there will be no water demands for cooling once it is operational,” officials said.

The company will also partner with Ducks Unlimited and local conservation partners to restore 570 acres of wetland and prairie surrounding the data centers, officials said. Around 175 acres of green space will be given to Ducks Unlimited and its partners for conservation work for flood storage and wildlife habitat, they added.

“Strong partnerships are at the core of successful conservation projects,” said Brian Glenzinski, manager of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited, in a statement. “We are excited to join Meta, the city of Beaver Dam, and the many other organizations that are prioritizing wetland habitat through this project.”

WEDC designated Beaver Dam Commerce Park shovel-ready for development in 2019. State officials said it was the state’s largest certified site.

Becky Valcq, assistance vice president of regulatory and data center services at Alliant Energy, said Beaver Dam Commerce Park provides strong infrastructure and was intended to facilitate development such as the data center.

Sam Rikkers, deputy secretary and chief operating officer of WEDC, said the organization knew that a combination of “great workforce, central location and incredible infrastructure would attract a world-class investment.”

The project already has approval from the city, said Larry Bierke, city administrator at Beaver Dam, in an email. The city has already started issuing building permits, he added.