The data center boom is remaking the Midwestern power grid.
Two new developments underscore how large technology companies are set to shape electricity in the coal- and natural-gas-dependent region, potentially changing the energy mix and political messaging in some of the country’s largest battleground states.
On Wednesday, the Stargate project backed by OpenAI, Oracle and the Trump administration announced a gigawatt-scale artificial intelligence project in Wisconsin, paired with new energy generation. That was followed on Thursday by Google unveiling plans to support a landmark gas plant in Illinois that it says will capture 90 percent of its carbon emissions.
“As demand for data centers expands beyond traditional hubs, the upper Midwest has become a critical and strategic market,” said Dana Adams, president of North America for Vantage Data Centers, which is partnering with OpenAI and Oracle on the Stargate project north of Milwaukee.
