Microsoft breaks ground on La Porte data center campus

Microsoft has broken ground on a data center campus in La Porte, Indiana, marking the start of a project the company has been planning in Northwest Indiana since at least 2024.

In a LinkedIn post, Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith said the groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 17 alongside local officials and community members.

Smith wrote: "Today we broke ground in La Porte, Indiana, alongside Mayor Tom Dermody, local leaders, and community members who made this possible. This marks more than the start of a new data center. It represents the future of this community and our commitment to being a good neighbor.

"Beyond the thousands of construction jobs, our first phase will create more than 600 permanent Microsoft jobs. It will grow local tax revenues to support schools and the broader community for generations. Our campus will be designed with the latest energy-efficient, closed-loop liquid-cooling technologies to conserve natural resources. And we will enhance the surrounding ecosystem to strengthen flood protection and natural habitat."

Official site preparation began in March this year. Buildings 1-3 are set to be worked on through the end of 2027, and the data centers are expected to be completed in 2029.

Microsoft previously said it would build a 245,000 sq ft (22,800 sqm) data center on 489 acres at the Radius Industrial Park as part of a $1bn investment in Northwest Indiana. The first phase was planned to include six data centers and a substation on the initial plot of land.

In April 2026, the company said it was planning 17 buildings on an expanded site between East 250 South, East State Road 4, and Stevens Road in La Porte, though how many of those buildings will be data centers remains unclear.

Microsoft also owns 939 acres in Mishawaka, Indiana, which is also thought to be set for a data center.

La Porte is located just south of Michigan City, where Google is developing the Project Maize data center campus.

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