Microsoft will finance the construction of its own data centers and the electricity-grid upgrades associated with its artificial intelligence projects, said Noelle Walsh, Microsoft’s president of cloud operations and innovation. The pledge extends a commitment announced in January 2026 to prevent communities hosting the facilities from bearing higher electricity bills. The company reportedly allocated more than $80 billion to artificial intelligence infrastructure over the preceding year, including $4 billion for Wisconsin. Microsoft has also invested more than $7 billion cumulatively in data centers in the state and rejected a capacity-expansion option proposed by Nscale while retaining its existing contracts with the company. Local authorities and utilities will judge the implementation of the pledge, particularly through the effect on residents’ monthly bills.
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