Wisconsin communities signed secrecy deals for billion-dollar data centers
7 days ago
- #transparency
- #Wisconsin
- #data-centers
- A $1 billion, 520-acre data center by Meta (Facebook, Instagram) is being built in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, kept secret for over a year via NDAs.
- Seven major data center projects worth over $57 billion are pending in Wisconsin, with four using NDAs to maintain secrecy.
- Local governments in Beaver Dam, Menomonie, Kenosha, and Janesville signed NDAs, hiding details of data center proposals from the public.
- Residents in communities like DeForest are fighting data center projects due to lack of transparency and late public disclosure.
- A new Wisconsin legislative proposal aims to ban NDAs for data center projects to ensure public awareness and transparency.
- Data centers are crucial for AI advancement but raise concerns about energy use, land impact, and stranded utility assets.
- States like Florida, Michigan, and New Jersey are considering laws to prohibit NDAs for data center projects.
- Microsoft announced new transparency standards for data centers, but critics highlight ongoing secrecy issues in projects like Mount Pleasant.