Biden Touts New Microsoft AI Data Center
US Pres. Joe Biden during a Wednesday visit to Wisconsin announced a new Microsoft artificial intelligence (AI) data center in Racine and lauded his administration's investment in the facility that will replace a Foxconn electronics factory....
0:00
/1861
Facts
- US Pres. Joe Biden during a Wednesday visit to Wisconsin announced a new Microsoft artificial intelligence (AI) data center in Racine and lauded his administration's investment in the facility that will replace a Foxconn electronics factory.1
- According to the White House, Microsoft’s $3.3B investment to build the data center will create 2.3K union construction jobs and 2K permanent jobs as part of Biden's attempt to boost US manufacturing jobs.2
- In a speech at Gateway Technical College, Biden criticized former Pres. Donald Trump, the president's presumptive opponent in the 2024 presidential election, for the failure of the Foxconn factory that was established in 2018.3
- Trump had promised that the Taiwanese tech manufacturer would create 13K jobs with its $10B investment but, Biden said, Trump 'wasted hundreds of millions of tax dollars to promise a project that never happened.'4
- Microsoft has said it will use the center to train 100K workers on generative AI by 2030 in a state where the economy and persistent inflation are major concerns among prospective voters.5
- In the 2020 presidential election, Wisconsin was decided by less than one percentage point and it figures to again be an important state this fall.6
Sources: 1WISN, 2The White House, 3USA Today, 4The Washington Times, 5CNN and 6Associated Press.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Milwaukee Record. Unlike his predecessor, Biden doesn't make grand promises he can't keep. Biden is at the forefront of Democrats at the national and state levels who are creating new economic opportunities in Wisconsin. With Democrats at the helm, Wisconsin will continue to be a hub for new investment.
- Republican narrative, as provided by RNC. Biden has failed Wisconsin — and the entire country — with his disastrous economic policies, so he's trying to do public relations by taking credit for this new data center. Inflation, sky-high interest rates, and unaffordable housing are key features of Bidenomics, and Wisconsin voters will support Trump in November.
