State legislators and an expert from the University of Wisconsin-Madison discussed the implications and future of data centers in Wisconsin at a panel Tuesday, highlighting career opportunities, energy costs and the need for community input.
Wisconsin is home to 51 data centers, with facilities currently being built in Beaver Dam and Mount Pleasant. According to the panelists, the state continues to attract major tech companies looking to build hyperscale data centers.
Rep. Maureen McCarville, D-DeForest, said the economic potential is significant, pointing to the 700 permanent jobs a proposed, and later rejected, data center campus in DeForest was projected to bring to the community. She also highlighted the opportunities these data centers open up for UW-Madison students…