IN MY OPINION: Port Washington is helping to make the future of AI possible

For generations, Port Washington’s iconic lighthouse has stood as a beacon and important landmark. It inspired us to refer to the AI data center that we are building in Port Washington as the Lighthouse. We believe this new AI data center will carry forward the legacy of Port Washington and help chart the course for the future of artificial intelligence that will power tomorrow’s economy. The breakthroughs enabled by AI—whether in health care, scientific research or manufacturing—will depend on the infrastructure being built today. And right here on the shores of Lake Michigan, Port Washington is making that future possible. The scale of this opportunity is difficult to overstate. Lighthouse represents a multi-billion-dollar investment and the largest private development in Wisconsin’s history. But dollars alone don’t tell the story.

What does a project like this actually mean for Port Washington? It means 4,000 skilled construction workers and more than 1,000 long-term project-supported positions after construction is complete. It means new opportunities for local businesses, contractors, educators and students. And it means preparing the next generation for lasting careers.

That’s why we’re partnering with organizations including the Port Washington-Saukville School District, Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Our goal is not only to bring jobs, but to help build a workforce that can thrive in Wisconsin for decades to come.

Of course, when a project of this size arrives in a community, questions naturally follow. How will water be used? What about energy demand? How will this affect daily life in Port Washington? These are fair questions. In fact, they’re exactly the kinds of questions people should ask.

Take water, for example. Lake Michigan is one of the region’s greatest natural treasures, and protecting it is non-negotiable. The Lighthouse campus will use a closed-loop cooling system that is filled once and continuously recycles water, dramatically reducing consumption. Ongoing water use will be comparable to that of a standard office building.

Energy is another important conversation. How do we meet our energy needs responsibly?

Our answer is to invest in the future. Approximately 51 % of the campus’s power will come from carbon-free sources. The project will also support roughly 1,400 megawatts of new carbon-free energy generation capacity and 600 megawatts of grid-connected energy storage in Wisconsin—investments that can strengthen grid reliability, support long-term affordability and benefit families and businesses across the state.

This isn’t simply about powering a data center. It’s about helping build the energy infrastructure Wisconsin will need in the decades ahead, and it’s about the opportunity for Port Washington to help define the future of AI.

The author is senior vice president of Oracle.