Jurisdiction Index / US — Wisconsin (MISO)
US — Wisconsin (MISO)
JCI composite · as of · methodology v0
US — Wisconsin (MISO) scores 68.5/100 on the Compute Institute Jurisdiction Competitiveness Index (Tier 2, Competitive), ranking #6 of 34 rated jurisdictions with a positive outlook, as of July 3, 2026 under methodology v0. Its strongest dimension is Stability & Execution Risk at 8.5/10; its weakest is Power Cost at 4.9/10. 21 of 22 sub-factors are scored on E1–E2 evidence (data confidence A). The positive outlook is driven by 1 forward-looking signal (+2.14 net points, E3–E4 evidence): observed construction velocity (E3).
Dimension breakdown
Seven dimensions, each 0–10, weighted per methodology v0. JCI = Σ(dimension × weight) × 10.
Power Availability & Deliverability
Power Cost
Speed to Build
Regulatory & AI Policy Environment
Fiscal & Incentives
Capital & Ecosystem Depth
Stability & Execution Risk
Outlook drivers — Positive (+2.14 net points)
Forward-looking E3–E4 signals. They move the outlook only — never the base score.
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Observed construction velocity +2.14 pts as of
“VERIFIED on the official Microsoft newsroom (the authoritative first-party publisher). The June 23, 2026 release confirms the Mount Pleasant/Fairwater facility was announced May 2024, that Microsoft 'has completed construction... after bringing equipment online and conducting startup activities in April,' and that 'nearly 10,000 workers' built it over two years — consistent with a ~24-month announce-to-energization pace. E3 is correct (self-reported company disclosure).”
Source: Microsoft Source — Completes construction on first Mount Pleasant datacenter (2026-06-23) (news.microsoft.com)
Sub-factor scores and sources
Every base-scored input below carries E1–E2 evidence: a justification, an evidence-level grade, and a link to the underlying source document.
Power Availability & Deliverability — 5.4/10 (weight 20%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grid headroom 40% of dimension | 4 /10 | Wisconsin sits in MISO, where FERC (Jan 30, 2025) approved a queue cap limiting each study region to 50% of non-coincident peak load in the DPP cycle — a verified structural constraint on new firm headroom. MISO's total interconnection queue (~300+ GW) far exceeds its ~127 GW pea... as of | MISO 2025 Long-Range Resource Adequacy & Interconnection Queue Update (163 GW-by-2035 forecast; ~300 GW queue) cdn.misoenergy.org | |
| Time-to-power 35% of dimension | 5 /10 | Standard MISO interconnection runs multi-year, but the PSC-approved utility self-build path is faster: We Energies' PSC-approved Oak Creek gas (1,100 MW) and Paris RICE peaker (128 MW) are proceeding with Oak Creek expected complete by winter 2027 / summer 2028, and Microsoft's M... as of | PowerMag: Regulators Approve Plans for Two New Gas-Fired Plants in Wisconsin www.powermag.com | |
| Energy mix & expandability 15% of dimension | 8 /10 | Dedicated firm gas is legal and actively deployed: on May 22, 2025 the PSC of Wisconsin approved We Energies' ~$1.5B investment in ~1,228 MW of new gas (Oak Creek combustion turbines 1,100 MW + Paris RICE 128 MW), explicitly citing energy-intensive data-center growth in southeast... as of | PowerMag: Regulators Approve Plans for Two New Gas-Fired Plants in Wisconsin www.powermag.com | |
| Water availability 10% of dimension | 8 /10 | SE Wisconsin data-center sites (Mt. Pleasant, Port Washington, Milwaukee) lie in the Lake Michigan / Great Lakes basin, a low-water-stress region with abundant supply and no moratorium; the principal constraint is Great Lakes Compact governance of out-of-basin diversions rather t... as of | WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas (Baseline Annual v4.0) www.wri.org |
Power Cost — 4.9/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial electricity price 60% of dimension | 5 /10 | EIA Table 5.6.A (April 2026) confirms WI industrial retail price 8.84 c/kWh ($88.4/MWh), slightly above the 8.66 c/kWh US average — both values verified on the official EIA table. On the anchor (10=<$45/MWh, 0=>$140/MWh), $88.4/MWh maps to ~5.4, so mid-band; score 5 is conservati... as of | EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A www.eia.gov | |
| Price trajectory & exposure 25% of dimension | 3.5 /10 | EIA Table 5.6.A shows WI industrial price rose from 8.27 c/kWh (Apr 2025) to 8.84 c/kWh (Apr 2026), +6.9% YoY — both figures verified on the official EIA table. Forward exposure is compounded by We Energies/WPS 2027-2028 rate filings (PSC docket 5-UR-112: We Energies 4.7% in 2027... as of | EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A www.eia.gov | |
| Cost certainty / contractability 15% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | PSC of Wisconsin press release (04/24/2026, docket 6630-TE-113) confirms the Commission's decision on We Energies' Very Large Customer (VLC) / Bespoke Resources Tariff: extended the VLC minimum initial term to 15 years, lowered the eligibility threshold from 500 MW to 100 MW, and... as of | Public Service Commission of Wisconsin — Press Release: PSC Overhauls We Energies' Data Center Tariff (April 24, 2026) psc.wi.gov |
Speed to Build — 7.3/10 (weight 17.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permitting regime 40% of dimension | 7.5 /10 | VERIFIED on the official PSC page (psc.wi.gov, the authoritative agency): it states verbatim 'The PSC has no direct regulatory oversight of the development or operations of data centers and does not grant permits to construct or operate data centers in Wisconsin,' and assigns sit... as of | Wisconsin Public Service Commission — The PSC and Data Centers psc.wi.gov | |
| Observed construction velocity 35% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
| Labor & supply capacity 25% of dimension | 7 /10 | VERIFIED: BLS OEWS May 2024 Wisconsin figures for Electricians (47-2111) — employment 12,630 and annual median wage $75,090 — corroborated exactly (bls.gov anti-bot blocks direct fetch with HTTP 403, but the numbers match the official OEWS state table). Combined with the ~10,000-... as of | BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — Wisconsin (May 2024) www.bls.gov |
Regulatory & AI Policy Environment — 7.4/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI-specific law in force 35% of dimension | 7 /10 | Wisconsin has no comprehensive AI statute constraining compute or data centers. Its only enacted AI-specific measure is narrow — 2025 Wis. Act 34, effective Oct. 4, 2025, criminalizing AI-generated/'synthetic' explicit images (misdemeanor to create, felony to use for harassment).... as of | Wisconsin State Legislature — 2025 Subject Index, 'Data processing' (AI legislation entries) docs.legis.wisconsin.gov | |
| DC-specific regulation 35% of dimension | 8 /10 | Wisconsin enacted a statutory, favorable DC framework — 2023 Wis. Act 19's sales-and-use tax exemption (sec. 77.54(70), Wis. Stats.) for WEDC-certified qualified data centers on tiered minimum-qualified-investment thresholds over five years by county population ($150M for countie... as of | Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue Fact Sheet 2114 — Sales and Use Tax Exemption for Qualified Data Centers www.revenue.wi.gov | |
| Regulatory predictability 30% of dimension | 7 /10 | The PSC established a clear large-load baseline via the We Energies Very Large Customer (VLC)/Bespoke Resources tariff, Docket 6630-TE-113, decided at the April 24, 2026 open meeting, but exercised meaningful discretion mid-docket — lowering the energy-demand eligibility threshol... as of | Public Service Commission of Wisconsin — Press Release: PSC Overhauls We Energies' Data Center Tariff (April 24, 2026) psc.wi.gov |
Fiscal & Incentives — 7.1/10 (weight 10%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enacted incentives 40% of dimension | 8.5 /10 | ENACTED statutory sales/use tax exemption for qualified data centers, verified on the official Wisconsin Legislature statute page: Wis. Stat. 77.54(70) exempts tangible personal property used exclusively for the development, construction, or operation of a 'qualified data center'... as of | Wisconsin Legislature - Wis. Stat. 77.54(70) docs.legis.wisconsin.gov | |
| Headline tax burden 40% of dimension | 5 /10 | Verified on Tax Foundation Wisconsin page: flat 7.90% corporate income tax (relatively high), 1.32% effective property tax on owner-occupied value, and a low 5.00% state sales tax (5.72% combined). Wisconsin's repeal of the tangible personal-property tax (2023 Act 12) means DC eq... as of | Tax Foundation - Wisconsin Tax Rates (2026) taxfoundation.org | |
| Incentive durability 20% of dimension | 8.5 /10 | Verified: the 77.54(70) data-center exemption is a permanent statutory provision with NO sunset date on the official statute page. By contrast the neighboring subsection 77.54(76) (a nuclear-fusion technology exemption) carries an express 'does not apply after December 31, 2076'... as of | Wisconsin Legislature - Wis. Stat. 77.54(70) docs.legis.wisconsin.gov |
Capital & Ecosystem Depth — 7.9/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committed capital 40% of dimension | 8.5 /10 | Two megaprojects under construction: official WEDC/Gov. Evers release (Sep 18, 2025) confirms Microsoft has committed >$7B in Mount Pleasant ($3.3B first datacenter by end 2026 + ~$4B second by end 2028, first AI datacenter 'on track' online early 2026, billed 'world's most power... as of | Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) — Gov. Evers/Microsoft announcement wedc.org | |
| Ecosystem 30% of dimension | 6 /10 | Ecosystem is newly-built rather than mature: the Wisconsin PSC's official April 24, 2026 press release (Docket 6630-TE-113) confirms it overhauled We Energies' Very Large Customer (VLC) and Bespoke Resources Tariff — creating a purpose-built large-customer rate class, LOWERING th... as of | Public Service Commission of Wisconsin — Press Release: PSC Overhauls We Energies' Data Center Tariff (April 24, 2026) psc.wi.gov | |
| Sovereign/anchor capital availability 30% of dimension | 9 /10 | Wisconsin hosts both flagship anchors: Microsoft's Mount Pleasant 'Fairwater' (world's most powerful AI datacenter) and a Stargate site. Vantage's official press release (Oct 22, 2025) confirms the Port Washington 'Lighthouse' campus — $15B+ Vantage investment, nearly 1 GW of AI... as of | Vantage Data Centers — OpenAI, Oracle & Vantage Stargate Wisconsin announcement vantage-dc.com |
Stability & Execution Risk — 8.5/10 (weight 15%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political/policy continuity 40% of dimension | 8.5 /10 | Wisconsin has an enacted, statutory pro-data-center policy: Wis. Stat. 77.54(70) grants a standing sales/use tax exemption for qualified data center equipment and water cooling/conservation systems, certified via WEDC. VERIFIED on the official Wisconsin Legislature publisher page... as of | Wisconsin Legislature - Wis. Stat. 77.54(70) docs.legis.wisconsin.gov | |
| Currency, transfer & convertibility 35% of dimension | 10 /10 | Wisconsin transacts in USD, a fully convertible reserve currency with no capital, transfer, or repatriation controls; per the anchor US states score ~10 on transfer/convertibility. NOTE: the IMF AREAER portal URL resolves to a subscription/login landing gateway that does not itse... as of | IMF AREAER — United States www.elibrary-areaer.imf.org | |
| Physical & geopolitical risk 25% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | NOAA NCEI state summary VERIFIED: Wisconsin had 63 billion-dollar disasters 1980-2024 — 44 severe storm, 9 drought, 5 flooding, 4 winter storm, 1 freeze, and ZERO tropical cyclone and ZERO wildfire (all figures match the official NCEI WI state-summary page exactly) — so no hurric... as of | NOAA NCEI Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters — Wisconsin State Summary www.ncei.noaa.gov |
Signals
Recent ingested source documents linked to this jurisdiction via extracted claims or triage mentions, newest first.
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· Latitude Media · relevance 0.70
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· Data Center Dynamics · relevance 0.95
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· ENR - main · relevance 0.70
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· ENR - main · relevance 0.70
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· Data Center Knowledge · relevance 0.70
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· Data Center Knowledge · relevance 0.90
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· Microsoft Source · relevance 0.90
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· Data Center Dynamics · relevance 0.95
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· Racine County Eye · relevance 0.95
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· Data Center Knowledge · relevance 0.95
Scores are reproducible from the frozen inputs snapshot recorded at computation time (2026-07-03T18:55:26+00:00). See the full methodology for rubrics, weights, and the evidence ladder.