OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage Data Centers, have announced plans to develop a data center campus outside Milwaukee in Port Washington, Wisconsin. The campus will feature four data centers providing close to a gigawatt of AI capacity.
The new campus is part of OpenAI and Oracle’s previously announced partnership to invest up to 4.5 GW of additional Stargate capacity, and is the Midwest site that was recently announced as part of OpenAI’s Stargate expansion. Construction will begin soon, and is scheduled for completion in 2028.
“Expanding Stargate to Wisconsin is another major step toward building the infrastructure that will help ensure everyone can benefit from AI,” said Peter Hoeschele, OpenAI’s vice president of industrial compute. “This project will create good jobs, advance zero-emission energy and boost the local economy—all while expanding capacity without raising rates for local consumers.”
“We’re pleased to work with Vantage Data Centers as we continue to rapidly expand our cloud capacity to meet the growing demand for AI,” said Mahesh Thiagarajan, executive vice president, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “Oracle’s highly performant, secure and cost-effective AI infrastructure is fueling a new era of innovation that will fortify American leadership in AI worldwide.”
“As demand for data centers expands beyond traditional hubs, the upper Midwest has become a critical and strategic market for Vantage Data Centers and our customers,” said Dana Adams, president of North America, Vantage Data Centers. “Our investment in Wisconsin reflects the area’s strong foundation for digital growth to support sustainable AI innovation at scale. Vantage is committed to being a good neighbor and is prioritizing investing in sustainable energy, minimizing local impact and partnering closely with the community to be an economic driver for the state.”
In a press release, Vantage Data Centers, a global provider of hyperscale data center campuses revealed that the project, named Lighthouse, would be powered at least partly with renewable energy, and aims to reduce water positive. Vantage is also pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for the Lighthouse campus, underscoring the company’s global commitment to sustainable building practices.
Vantage further revealed that it is investing a minimum of US$ 175 million to make critical regional infrastructure upgrades, including expanded capacity for water and wastewater treatment facilities, upgraded water mains and sewer lines, a new water tower and power infrastructure that will not only benefit the Lighthouse campus but also the needs of Port Washington.
The project expects to create more than 4,000 skilled construction jobs, most of which will be union jobs. Once complete, Vantage and Oracle aim to create more than 1,000 long-term jobs and thousands more indirect jobs.