Why it matters
The strategic read
Adds Microsoft's Northwest Indiana buildout to the Deal Room as a construction-stage AI infrastructure receipt rather than another proposal. The campus expands Microsoft's Midwest AI and cloud footprint near other Indiana hyperscale activity, while the local tax renegotiation, closed-loop liquid cooling and ecosystem / flood-protection commitments show the new template for community-facing data-center approvals: jobs, schools, utility impact and water discipline packaged with AI capacity.
Source-supported terms
What was disclosed
- 01
DCD reported on June 18, 2026 that Microsoft broke ground on a data-center campus in La Porte, Indiana, after a June 17 ceremony announced by Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith.
- 02
Smith said the first phase will create more than 600 permanent Microsoft jobs, support thousands of construction jobs and grow local tax revenues for schools and the broader community.
- 03
DCD said official site-preparation work began in March 2026.
- 04
DCD reported that buildings 1-3 are expected to be worked on through the end of 2027, with the data centers expected to be completed in 2029.
- 05
DCD said Microsoft's La Porte plans date back to at least 2024, when the company revealed a 245,000-square-foot data center on 489 acres at Radius Industrial Park as part of a $1B Northwest Indiana investment.
- 06
DCD reported that the first phase would comprise six data centers and a substation on the initial plot of land.
- 07
DCD said Microsoft disclosed in April 2026 that it was planning 17 buildings on an expanded La Porte plot between East 250 South, East State Road 4 and Stevens Road, though the number of data-center buildings in the expanded plan remains unclear.
- 08
Northwest Indiana Business reported that Microsoft broke ground on the new $1B data-center complex on June 17 in La Porte.
- 09
Northwest Indiana Business reported that Microsoft expects the first and second buildings to be complete by spring 2029 and the third by winter 2029.
- 10
The same local report says Microsoft renegotiated an agreement in March to pay its share of property taxes for the project, following Microsoft's commitment not to seek property-tax abatements or other local-government perks.
- 11
Smith said the campus will use energy-efficient, closed-loop liquid-cooling technologies to conserve natural resources.
- 12
Smith also said Microsoft will enhance the surrounding ecosystem to strengthen flood protection and natural habitat.
- 13
La Porte sits near other Northern Indiana hyperscale projects, including Google's Project Maize in nearby Michigan City and Amazon / AWS data-center campus plans elsewhere in Northern Indiana.
Disclosure boundary
What is known—and what is not
Near-primary DCD report quoting Microsoft vice chair Brad Smith's LinkedIn announcement, supported by Northwest Indiana Business local reporting and Microsoft local-project context. Public materials disclose the groundbreaking date, $1B investment framing, 489-acre site, 245,000-square-foot facility, six initial data centers and substation, more-than-600 permanent first-phase jobs, 2029 building-completion targets, tax-agreement context and closed-loop liquid-cooling commitment. Public materials do not disclose final campus MW, utility-service agreement, interconnection status, power-generation or PPA counterparties, construction/EPC awards, full building list, server/GPU allocation, workload/customer allocation, water permits, exact capex by phase, delivery remedies or final expanded-site scope.