Topline
President Joe Biden will unveil a new $3.3 billion investment by Microsoft to build a new artificial intelligence datacenter in Racine, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, in a bid to highlight his jobs push and economic accomplishments in the key battleground state.
File Photo: Microsoft's $3.3 billion investment will create 2,300 union construction jobs and 2,000 ... [+]
Key Facts
According to the White House, the datacenter will create 2,300 union construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs.
Microsoft has also committed to working with the state-run Gateway Technical College to train 1,000 workers for datacenter and STEM roles and train 1,000 business leaders to adopt AI in their operations.
The White House statement highlights the datacenter project as a part of Biden’s “Investing in America” push to mobilize private sector investments to create manufacturing jobs in the semiconductors, clean energy and AI industries.
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Key Background
The AI datacenter is being built “on the same land” where former President Donald Trump unveiled a $10 billion Foxconn factory that never came to be, the White House’s fact sheet about the project mentions several times. Trump had referred to the factory as “the eighth wonder of the world” when he announced it in 2017 and promised it would create 13,000 jobs. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer eventually scaled back its investment to $672 million, promising to create only 1,454 new jobs. Foxconn has no involvement in the Microsoft campus.
Crucial Quote
“Six years ago, the prior administration touted a $10 billion investment by Foxconn that would purportedly create 13,000 manufacturing jobs in Racine. But after 100 homes and farms were bulldozed to make way for the manufacturing plant and over $500 million in taxpayer dollars were invested to prepare the site, no such investment materialized,” the White House said.
What To Watch For
Biden is also scheduled to attend a campaign event later on Wednesday in Racine where he will address Black voters and “discuss the stakes of this election and the important progress made under his leadership for the Black community,” according to his campaign.
Further Reading
Trump promised this Wisconsin town a manufacturing boom. It never arrived. (Washington Post)
Biden to meet with Black voters during Wednesday trip to Wisconsin (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
