Microsoft’s Fairwater datacenter will use more power than Los Angeles

Microsoft’s Fairwater multi-building datacenter in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, is projected to consume 3.3 GW of power by late 2027, when its fourth building becomes operational. In comparison, the city of Los Angeles used around 2.4 GW of power on average in 2023.

Microsoft’s planned datacenter will require the equivalent of 3-4 large nuclear reactors, with each single building consuming around a gigawatt of energy. Note that our estimates of Fairwater Wisconsin’s power usage are somewhat more speculative than our other estimates – see details here.

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