Microsoft's multi-data center AI cluster, Fairwater, is going live ahead of schedule.

The company's CEO, Satya Nadella, shared a progress update via X on April 16, which said that the "Fairwater data center in Wisconsin is going live, ahead of schedule."

Nadella described the project as "the world’s most powerful AI data center," adding that it will bring together "hundreds of thousands of GB200s into a single seamless cluster."

Whether the Fairwater site is currently operational or simply set to launch earlier than expected is unclear. DCD has contacted Microsoft for clarification.

Fairwater is a data center campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. In September 2025, Microsoft revealed it was increasing its investment in the project to $7.3 billion.

The data center campus, beyond housing hundreds of thousands of GPUs, will have enough fiber "to wrap the planet four times over."

Microsoft has long been developing in Mount Pleasant. It broke ground at 90th Street in 2023. It was originally planned to develop 315 acres of land.

The cloud company gained approval for another 1,000-acre expansion earlier that year. Since then, it has been busy buying up the land it needs to make this happen, including a 160-acre parcel it acquired for $43 million in August last year. In January 2026, Microsoft received approval for an additional 15 data center buildings on the campus.

The existing 315-acre Fairwater site comprises three large buildings with a combined 1.2 million sq ft (111,485 sqm). Construction required 46.6 miles (74.9km) of deep foundation piles, 26.5 million pounds of structural steel, 120 miles (193km) of medium-voltage underground cable, and 72.6 miles (116.8km) of mechanical piping.

Microsoft launched a Fairwater site in Atlanta in November 2025.

Microsoft set to get green light in Leeds

Across the pond in the UK, Microsoft is nearing permission for a data center development in Leeds, West Yorkshire. As reported by the Inside Media, Leeds City councillors have recommended approving the scheme.

The data center campus was filed for by Microsoft in November 2025. Planned for Skelton Grange, West Yorkshire, the home of a former power station, the campus would have three three-story data centers (listed as LBA10, 11, and 12 in some documents) totaling around 424,000 sq ft (39,390 sqm) each and an on-site substation. Construction could start in early 2027.

The project will now go to the city's chief planning officer for final approval.