Courtesy-Microsoft Facebook page
LA PORTE, Ind. – Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced Tuesday that Microsoft will invest $1 billion to establish a new data center in northwest Indiana. The new La Porte facility will create up to 200 jobs by the end of 2032. It will accelerate cloud computing infrastructure to support technology and artificial intelligence growth.
“Indiana is committed to being a central hub in the global economy of the future, and this latest announcement ensures Hoosier communities and talent will be key to widespread advancements in cloud and artificial intelligence technology,” said Gov. Holcomb.
Microsoft, headquartered in Redmond, Washington, will construct a new 245,000-square-foot data center on 489 acres at the Radius Industrial Park in La Porte. The campus will help power the Microsoft Cloud and support the next-level digital transformation spurred by the widespread adoption of cloud computing and AI (artificial intelligence). It will join the company’s worldwide network of cloud computing infrastructure of more than 60 Azure regions, more than 300 data centers, over 280,000 kilometers of network, and over 190 edge sites.
The technology company will look to fill several positions, including critical environment engineers, IT technicians and managers, inventory and asset technicians and managers, security personnel, and site managers.
The timeline for construction and operations of the new data center is dependent on the design, planning, and permitting process, which will start in cooperation with the City of La Porte later this year.
Tuesday’s news marks Indiana’s fourth strategically located major planned data center announcement in 2024. Together, these Fortune 500 businesses plan to invest $14.8 billion in cloud computing and storage infrastructure in communities and regions across Indiana, creating 1,500 new jobs in Fort Wayne, Jeffersonville, La Porte, and New Carlisle.
