President Biden touts Microsoft's Racine County 'comeback project,' contrasts it with Foxconn failure

STURTEVANT - President Joe Biden on Wednesday touted Microsoft's planned $3.3 billion investment in its Mount Pleasant data center as a product of his administration's economic growth agenda, contrasting it with the unfulfilled promise of the neighboring Foxconn International Holdings development deal that was negotiated during Donald Trump's presidency.

Biden joined Microsoft President Brad Smith and Gov. Tony Evers Wednesday at Gateway College's Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Center to announce the expansion of Microsoft's data server complex, and the tech giant's plans to add about 2,000 permanent jobs over time. The new value of the development is more than three times what was announced a little more than a year ago when Microsoft signed its first deal to buy land in the village's Wisconsin Innovation Park.

Biden said the Microsoft development is a "comeback story," playing out across Wisconsin and the nation, that stands in contrast to the 2017 efforts of Trump and state Republican officials to bring Foxconn to Mount Pleasant. Microsoft is building its data center on land that Foxconn was initially expected to use for a $10 billion LCD manufacturing plant that Trump touted as the "eighth wonder of the world." Neither the investment nor the 13,000 jobs Foxconn promised materialized.

"Foxconn turned out to be just that," Biden said. "A con."

Visit comes as Biden, Trump locked in close race

Biden's stop in Sturtevant, his fourth trip to the state this year, comes as he is locked in a tight presidential race with presumptive GOP nominee Trump, who held a narrow, 51-49 percentage point lead among Wisconsin's registered voters and likely voters, according to the most recent Marquette Law School Poll. On economic issues, the poll found voters favored Trump 52-34.

Biden referenced Trump and Foxconn early in his 20-minute speech before an audience of about 200, using that experience to contrast with the more than 700,000 jobs that he said have been added in Wisconsin under his watch.

That growth, he said, stems from his "Investing in America" initiative, a package of bills passed in late 2021 and early 2022 that aims to encourage investments in domestic manufacturing and infrastructure, accelerate the nation's transition to clean energy, and create new, well-paying jobs.

"On my watch we make promises and keep promises," he said.

Microsoft workforce development efforts praised

Biden and Smith also highlighted Microsoft's expanded commitment to workforce development, business assistance and training and other initiatives designed to position the state as a hub for artificial intelligence-powered economic activity by helping workers and businesses adapt to working AI. That initiative includes a plan to help 100,000 workers learn new skills by 2030.

"What I want you to know is this isn't just about building a building. It is not just about manufacturing jobs today," Smith said. "More than anything, this project is about using the power of AI to fuel the future of manufacturing companies and jobs and skills across the state of Wisconsin and around the country. That is what we are building together."

The new value of the development reflects the torrid pace at which Microsoft has moved since it bought a 315-acre parcel in the business park in early 2023. It began construction of the first of two data center buildings just a few months later and by December had finalized a deal to acquire another 1,030 acres, for $176 million.

In April, Microsoft received preliminary approval from the village to begin grading land to the west of the construction site to prepare it for two additional buildings. In the near term, the construction project is expected to employ 2,300 union workers.

Smith in an interview said the fast movement was made possible with the cooperation of local, regional and state agencies who help smooth the permitting process and had premade large investments to develop the business park and ensure it was ready for construction. He acknowledged that preparation was done for Foxconn.

AI training for 100,000 workers promised

Microsoft's push in southeast Wisconsin isn't only focused on buildings. Smith said it will also make a multimillion-dollar investment in training programs that will teach business and technical leaders how best to adapt AI and transform work culture, support start up businesses, prepare hundreds of students for careers as data center technicians, and provide boot camp-style training for more than 100,000 people who need new skills to work in the artificial intelligence economy.

The effort builds on Microsoft's previous investments in business and workforce development in Wisconsin and brings in many of the same partners, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Connected Systems Institute, the Green Bay Packers and the Titletown Tech business development center, the Madison startup accelerator gener8tor, United Way and Gateway Technical College.

To support it, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. will provide $500,000 to TitletownTech, the Green Bay-based Packers-Microsoft venture capital and business development partnership. The funds will help TitletownTech set up a Milwaukee office at UWM's Connected Systems Institute, a research and education center focused on advanced industrial processes.

Microsoft also intends to open an AI Co-Innovation Lab lab at the Connected Systems Institute to help Wisconsin manufacturers, entrepreneurs and other business connect with Microsoft AI experts for guidance on implementing AI technology to grow their businesses. WEDC will provide an additional $500,000 to cover capital expenses associated with the initiative.

"Looking to the future, we could not be more excited that Microsoft chose Wisconsin for its new and most important AI innovation." Evers said. "Located in UWM's Connected Systems Institute, the Wisconsin AI co-innovation lab will focus on bringing AI skills and capability to manufacturers to strengthen thus vital sector."

One of only three such labs in the country, the lab will be Microsoft's first east of the Rocky Mountains and the only lab that is both run in partnership with a university and also focused on manufacturing businesses. Staff at the lab are expected to work with at least 60 manufacturers a year.

Wisconsin Republicans accuse Biden of trying to 'hijack' credit for project

Local Republican officials walked a line between praising the Microsoft announcement and deriding Biden on a call with reporters ahead of the event.

“Microsoft's announcement of private-sector jobs in Racine is good for workers, and it's all the more important when workers and families find themselves falling further and further behind due to the reckless inflation brought on to us by the Biden administration,” said U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, whose district includes the Racine area.

Steil also noted that data centers use a large amount of electricity, and said Wisconsin will need a “solid domestic source of energy” going forward. He pointed to We Energies’ plans for a new $1.2 billion natural-gas powered generating plant in Oak Creek as a positive step in that direction.

“It's imperative that we continue that investment in our infrastructure, in particular, transitioning the Oak Creek facility to natural gas, but in doing so, we're going to have to make sure that the pipeline of natural gas is actually built,” Steil said.

State Sen. Julian Bradley, R-Franklin, and Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Brian Schimming echoed Steil’s thoughts. Bradley characterized Biden’s visit as an attempt to “hijack” an “awesome” announcement for Wisconsin workers because he’s “failing everywhere else.”

“Joe Biden is limping back to Racine today to look for a ‘Racine reset,’” Schimming said, noting that Republican former President Donald Trump carried Racine County in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Biden praises $3.3 billion Microsoft plan, slams Foxconn as a 'con'