Policy Questions - Wisconsin Data Center Projects

A Comprehensive Framework for Evaluating Hyperscale and AI Data Center Proposals

Policy Questions for Decision-Makers about Wisconsin Data Center Projects

A Comprehensive Framework for Evaluating Hyperscale and AI Data Center Proposals

Purpose of This Document

This document provides a structured set of questions for evaluating major data center proposals in Wisconsin. It now exclusively uses public, clear, and explicit terminology, without referencing any private frameworks or internal conceptual models.

The questions encompass:

  • Traditional due diligence
  • Energy, water, environmental, and fiscal impacts
  • Community engagement and transparency
  • Workforce and education benefits
  • Community Technology Benefits (CTBs)
  • Civic Compute Credits
  • AI governance and safety research partnerships
  • Long-term resilience and statewide modernization

These questions help ensure Wisconsin benefits from these long-term infrastructure projects.

Policy Question Framework

1. Project Scope & Longevity

Strategic Questions

  1. What is the full 10–20 year build-out plan, not just Phase 1?
  2. How stable are the operator’s long-term compute needs, especially for AI workloads?
  3. What is the expected equipment refresh cycle (servers, GPUs, cooling infrastructure)?
  4. What is the anticipated operational lifespan (minimum 30–50 years)?
  5. What happens if the company pauses or scales back future phases?

Future-Oriented Questions

  1. Will the operator support community technology, education, or digital literacy programs?
  2. Can the company partner in statewide AI governance, safety, or research efforts?

2. Energy Demand, Grid Impacts & Infrastructure

Load & Interconnection

  1. What is the projected electrical load (MW/GW) at stabilization?
  2. Is the load firm, dispatchable, flexible, or variable?
  3. What transmission and substation upgrades are required?
  4. Who pays for each component of required grid infrastructure?
  5. What risks exist if load is lower or higher than forecast?

Resilience & Planning

  1. Will the project participate in demand-response or load-management programs?
  2. Can infrastructure improvements benefit other industries or communities in the region?

3. Water Use, Cooling & Environmental Impact

Cooling Technology

  1. Will the project use dry cooling or closed-loop cooling exclusively?
  2. What is the maximum annual water consumption under peak load?
  3. Are there guarantees limiting water usage over the life of the facility?

Environmental Safeguards

  1. Will wetlands or natural areas be protected, mitigated, or restored?
  2. Will annual environmental performance reports be made public?

Climate Commitments

  1. Will the operator invest in new clean energy (“additionality”) rather than solely purchasing renewable credits?
  2. Can the waste heat be reclaimed for industrial, agricultural, or district-heating uses?

4. Fiscal Risk, Incentives & Long-Term Transparency

Incentive Design

  1. What is the total value of sales tax exemptions, TID/TIF incentives, and utility-supported infrastructure?
  2. Are incentives capped per phase?
  3. Are there clawback provisions tied to performance or build-out milestones?

Tax Base

  1. What minimum assessed value can the operator guarantee?
  2. How does the project affect the long-term municipal tax base?

Refresh Cycle Exposure

  1. How will the company report equipment refreshes?
  2. Can the state limit exposure from frequent upgrades?

5. Workforce Development & Local Hiring

Direct Employment

  1. How many full-time employees will work on site?
  2. What will the salary ranges and benefits packages be?

Construction Workforce

  1. How many construction workers are expected?
  2. Will Wisconsin-based contractors and union labor be prioritized?
  3. Will apprenticeship ratios be guaranteed?

Training & Education

  1. Will the company partner with:

    • UW campuses
    • Wisconsin Technical Colleges
    • K–12 districts

  2. Will the operator support a “Data Center Academy” or similar training pipeline?

6. Community Engagement & Transparency

Pre-Approval

  1. Have environmental, traffic, and impact studies been made public?
  2. Will the company host open houses, community Q&A sessions, or site visits?

Ongoing Transparency

  1. Will the operator publish annual reports on energy, water, emissions, and community benefits?

Community Governance

  1. Will a Community Advisory Board be established?

7. Community Technology Benefits (CTBs)

Voluntary, Public-Facing Programs That Strengthen Local Digital Capacity

  1. Will the operator support AI literacy and responsible technology use programs for the public?
  2. Can the company co-fund digital literacy centers at libraries, technical colleges, or community hubs?
  3. Will the operator provide cybersecurity and misinformation-resilience training?
  4. Can the company support device donations, curriculum development, or educator training?
  5. Will programming be tailored for both rural and urban Wisconsin communities?

8. Civic Compute Credits (Explicitly Defined)

Public-sector access to computing resources to modernize services and infrastructure.

  1. Will the operator or its associated cloud service provide compute or cloud credits to:

    • local governments
    • tribes
    • universities
    • technical colleges
    • public health departments
    • emergency management agencies
    • nonprofits

  2. Can public agencies use compute access for:

    • Energy modeling (grid planning, load forecasting)
    • Infrastructure modeling (stormwater, flooding, transportation)
    • Climate resilience simulations
    • Urban planning and zoning analysis
    • Public health forecasting
    • AI-assisted government service delivery and workflow improvement

  3. Will the operator assist in developing tools for:

    • public dashboards
    • transparency portals
    • environmental monitoring

9. Wisconsin AI Governance & Safety Institute

Partnership Questions

  1. Will the operator partner with UW to establish or support a statewide AI governance and safety institute?

  2. Will the company provide multi-year funding for:

    • AI safety research
    • model evaluation
    • ethical AI development
    • bias and fairness assessments
    • workforce development
    • public-sector technical support

  3. Can the Institute receive access to:

    • compute credits
    • visiting researchers
    • training materials
    • collaborative programs

  4. Will the operator publish AI safety and governance reports relevant to Wisconsin stakeholders?

10. Long-Term Resilience, Risk Management & Public Value

Future-Proofing

  1. What happens if demand spikes or collapses?
  2. What are the contingency plans for under-utilization?

Infrastructure Reuse

  1. Will substations, fiber conduits, and grid assets be transferable to future industrial users?
  2. Can unused phases be repurposed for manufacturing, logistics, or research facilities?

Community Value

  1. Can the project support:

    • emergency response digital tools
    • statewide digital resilience efforts
    • innovation districts
    • community workforce pipelines

  2. Does the project strengthen Wisconsin’s long-term identity as a technology-forward, innovation-ready state?

Conclusion

This document presents an explicit, public-friendly, forward-looking set of questions for evaluating hyperscale data centers in Wisconsin.

It ensures Wisconsin can:

  • responsibly evaluate each project
  • capture long-term community and economic benefits
  • modernize public-sector infrastructure
  • build statewide digital and AI governance capacity
  • strengthen resilience and technological competitiveness
Last modified November 25, 2025: Fix some broken links (8c0a9a8)