Vantage Data Centers has announced plans, together with OpenAI and Oracle, to develop a hyperscale data center campus called Lighthouse in Port Washington, Wisconsin. The campus, part of OpenAI and Oracle’s previously shared partnership to expand up to 4.5 gigawatts of additional Stargate capacity, will provide nearly one gigawatt of artificial intelligence compute capacity. Construction is set to begin soon, with completion scheduled for 2028.
The Lighthouse campus will comprise four large-scale data centers and is designed for sustainable operation. According to Vantage, the facility will match all electricity use with zero-emission energy, sourcing new Wisconsin-based solar, wind, and battery storage. Seventy percent of this new energy capacity will be dedicated to Lighthouse, while 30 percent is made available to other Wisconsin consumers. Remaining campus consumption will be covered with annual renewable energy purchases.
The site will use a closed-loop liquid cooling system designed to minimize water use while providing energy savings. To achieve a water-positive result, Vantage is investing in local water restoration projects that it says will restore more water to sources than the campus consumes. Of the total 672-acre site, 500 acres will be developed for the campus, while Vantage states it will preserve and enhance natural spaces, plant over 2,000 native trees, and implement native landscaping to achieve a net gain in biodiversity. Wetlands will be protected and enhanced, and an eight-foot planted berm with native species will help with sound mitigation. Vantage is pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the campus.
For the regional infrastructure, Vantage reports a planned minimum of $175 million in upgrades, including expanded water and wastewater capacity, new water mains, a new water tower, sewer lines, and power infrastructure. Vantage states it is underwriting 100 percent of the power infrastructure investment, with a dedicated electricity rate from WEC Energy Group’s We Energies utility, and claims this structure will protect other customers from increased rates due to Lighthouse.
This project is expected to generate over 4,000 skilled union construction jobs and more than 1,000 long-term jobs upon completion. Vantage also estimates a $2.7 billion contribution to the region’s gross domestic product. The Wisconsin campus is one element in a larger expansion effort, with Vantage investing over $40 billion in digital infrastructure, including another major campus in Texas.
Peter Hoeschele, OpenAI’s vice president of industrial compute, said, “Expanding Stargate to Wisconsin is another major step toward building the infrastructure that will help ensure everyone can benefit from AI,” adding, “This project will create good jobs, advance zero-emission energy and boost the local economy—all while expanding capacity without raising rates for local consumers.”
Mahesh Thiagarajan, executive vice president of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, said, “We’re pleased to work with Vantage Data Centers as we continue to rapidly expand our cloud capacity to meet the growing demand for AI.”
Dana Adams, president of North America for Vantage Data Centers, noted, “As demand for data centers expands beyond traditional hubs, the upper Midwest has become a critical and strategic market for Vantage Data Centers and our customers. Vantage is committed to being a good neighbor and is prioritizing investing in sustainable energy, minimizing local impact and partnering closely with the community to be an economic driver for the state.”
Source: Vantage Data Centers
