New Details on OpenAI And Oracle Midwest Stargate Campus

Ongoing coverage of the Midwest Stargate campus continued to surface today with fresh emphasis on the Lighthouse project’s scale: a ~902 MW critical IT load target across four single-story data centers (2.5 million sq ft) on Vantage’s 672-acre Port Washington, Wisconsin campus (roughly 30 minutes north of Milwaukee).

The site forms a key part of the OpenAI + Oracle partnership to deliver up to 4.5 GW of additional Stargate capacity. Combined with other campuses, it supports the broader push toward multi-gigawatt AI infrastructure.

Key Project Details

• Capacity & Design: Four buildings targeting 902 MW IT load. High-density capable (up to 1.4 kW per sq ft). On-site substation with N+1 redundancy and multiple diverse feeds from We Energies.
• Timeline: Ground broken December 2025; full campus completion targeted for 2028. Construction hours and delivery windows are now active (6 AM–8 PM, with related road and lighting management in place).
• Power Addition: Enables nearly 2 GW of new energy to the grid, with ~70% allocated to the campus and 30% benefiting Wisconsin consumers. 100% zero-emission matched (solar, wind, battery storage) with Wisconsin-sourced renewables.
• Cooling & Efficiency: Closed-loop liquid cooling delivering near-zero water usage effectiveness (WUE). Water-positive posture via local restoration investments.
• Investment & Jobs: Vantage committing $15B+ (part of broader North America spend). Minimum $175M in regional infrastructure upgrades (power, water/wastewater). Supports 4,000+ skilled construction jobs (majority union) and 1,000+ long-term operational roles with Vantage and Oracle, plus thousands of indirect positions.

Sustainability & Community Angle

The Lighthouse campus emphasizes measurable environmental performance: biodiversity net gain via 2,000+ native trees planted, wetland enhancements, and an eight-foot planted berm for sound mitigation. Pursuing LEED certification with additional features like drought-resistant landscaping and high-efficiency lighting. A dedicated electricity rate structure shields local ratepayers from project-driven increases.

Strategic Context

This announcement reinforces the OpenAI-Oracle Stargate expansion (previously outlined with sites in Texas and New Mexico) and Vantage’s growing hyperscale footprint. It highlights the industry’s shift toward secondary Midwest markets where power headroom, land availability, and utility partnerships can support GW-scale AI training and inference clusters. The addition of nearly 2 GW of new clean generation tied to the load is particularly notable amid tightening power markets.

Actionable takeaways for data center, power, and AI infrastructure stakeholders:

• Significant new Midwest load and co-located generation coming online by 2028.
• Strong demand signal for union construction trades and mission-critical MEP contractors through the decade.
• Validation of closed-loop liquid cooling and high rack-density designs at hyperscale.
• Template for utility partnerships that add net new clean capacity without broad rate impacts.

Additional project updates and construction notices are available via the Lighthouse microsite.