Microsoft plans $1 billion data center in northwest Indiana

Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Tuesday that Microsoft plans to invest $1 billion on a new data center in northwest Indiana.

Microsoft plans to build the data center in La Porte. The investment, which will support the company’s cloud computing infrastructure, is expected to bring only about 200 jobs within the next eight years.

With its announcement, Microsoft becomes the fourth major tech company this year saying it will invest big money in Indiana. Meta plans an $800 million data center in Jeffersonville, Google a $2 billion facility in Fort Wayne, and Amazon an $11 billion investment in data centers in Saint Joseph County.

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Likely part of what’s luring such investments: those companies are all eligible under state law for a sales tax exemption of up to 50 years on the equipment they buy for their data centers.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.