QTS has backed off plans to develop a data center near Madison, Wisconsin, after pushback from local officials.

The company has dropped plans for a campus in the Village of DeForest after the village announced its intention to deny an annexation request related to the project.

“After individual discussions with the Village Board trustees, staff have determined that QTS’ data center proposal is not feasible in DeForest,” the Village of DeForest announced this week. “Village staff have recommended to the Village President to reject the annexation petition during the Feb. 3 Village Board meeting.”

News that the company was targeting a development in the Village of DeForest, located north of Madison, surfaced in October 2025. The company had hoped to develop up to five data center buildings across approximately 650 acres.

QTS told local press: “It has become clear that now is not the right time for our proposed project to move forward in DeForest,” adding it was “disappointed with the outcome.”

The company continued: “QTS is committed to paying its fair share of power costs, so that our data centers won’t increase costs for communities. We will build on our strong track record of partnership within Wisconsin and beyond, ensuring that the communities where we operate share fully in the benefits that our data centers deliver.”

The No Data Center in DeForest Facebook group has more than 4,100 members at the time of writing.

Founded in 2003 and owned by Blackstone since 2021, QTS has dozens of data centers in operation and development across the US, UK, Netherlands, and Spain.