Operator profile
Microsoft
Global software and cloud company operating Azure. Azure lists regions in all eight focus countries except Saudi Arabia, where Saudi Arabia East is announced for November 2026. Microsoft is building its own AI datacenters, including the Fairwater campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin (first facility fully operational June 2026) and a three-site cluster in the Rhenish area of Germany (groundbreaking March 2026). In October 2026 it was reported to have withdrawn as customer of the planned Nscale site at Loughton, UK.
Footprint covered here
Azure regions in 7 of 8 focus countries plus Saudi Arabia East announced. Self-built AI campuses tracked in the US and Germany.
Tracked projects
| Project | Role | Country | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Fairwater 1 (Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin) | Operator, Owner | United States | Operating |
| Microsoft Mount Pleasant campus (Fairwater, Wisconsin) | Operator, Developer, Owner | United States | Under construction |
| Microsoft Rhenish mining area data centre cluster (Bergheim, Bedburg, Elsdorf) | Operator, Developer, Owner | Germany | Under construction |
| Microsoft second Mount Pleasant facility (Wisconsin) | Operator, Owner | United States | Under construction |
Disclosed cooling and power technology
- cooling: Fairwater uses closed-loop liquid cooling for over 90% of capacity, with fin coolers and a water-cooled chiller plant. German cluster uses closed-loop cooling with no evaporative loss. blogs.microsoft.com (opens in a new tab)
Cloud regions
Service areas, not campuses. No MW figures are attached to regions.
- Microsoft Azure Central US centralus
- Microsoft Azure East US eastus
- Microsoft Azure East US 2 eastus2
- Microsoft Azure Germany North germanynorth
- Microsoft Azure Germany West Central germanywestcentral
- Microsoft Azure Malaysia West malaysiawest
- Microsoft Azure North Central US northcentralus
- Microsoft Azure North Europe northeurope
- Microsoft Azure Saudi Arabia East
- Microsoft Azure South Central US southcentralus
- Microsoft Azure Southeast Asia southeastasia
- Microsoft Azure UAE Central uaecentral
- Microsoft Azure UAE North uaenorth
- Microsoft Azure UK South uksouth
- Microsoft Azure UK West ukwest
- Microsoft Azure West Central US westcentralus
- Microsoft Azure West US westus
- Microsoft Azure West US 2 westus2
- Microsoft Azure West US 3 westus3
Timeline
- 18 Oct 2026 Microsoft reportedly walks away from Nscale's Loughton AI site as grid dates slip: Reuters and the Guardian, citing the Telegraph, reported on 18 October 2026 that Microsoft ended its agreement for Nscale's planned AI data centre at Loughton, Essex. A month earlier the Guardian reported UK Power Networks might not supply enough power until the early to mid 2030s, against a 2027 target. Nscale says it is pursuing alternative power. Third-party reported Related: Nscale Loughton AI data centre (Essex), Great Britain: Ofgem data centre connection reforms (Demand Connections Reform, Curate consultation), United Kingdom. theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)channelnewsasia.com (opens in a new tab)
- 1 Sept 2026 Azure and AWS set Saudi region launches for late 2026: Microsoft says Saudi Arabia East will be available in November 2026 with three availability zones. Reuters reported AWS is on track to open its Saudi region in December 2026. Third-party reported Related: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Saudi Arabia. tradingview.com (opens in a new tab)news.microsoft.com (opens in a new tab)
- 23 Jun 2026 Microsoft's first Fairwater facility in Wisconsin is fully operational: Microsoft said the first Mount Pleasant facility was fully operational on 23 June 2026, with a second facility due in 2028. The site uses closed-loop liquid cooling for over 90% of capacity. Related: Microsoft Fairwater 1 (Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin), Microsoft second Mount Pleasant facility (Wisconsin), Microsoft Mount Pleasant campus (Fairwater, Wisconsin), United States. news.microsoft.com (opens in a new tab)blogs.microsoft.com (opens in a new tab)
- 12 Mar 2026 Microsoft Rhenish mining area data centre cluster (Bergheim, Bedburg, Elsdorf)Groundbreaking in Bergheim, permits for Bergheim and Bedburg Related: Microsoft Rhenish mining area data centre cluster (Bergheim, Bedburg, Elsdorf). news.microsoft.com (opens in a new tab)
- 18 Sept 2025 Fairwater AI datacenter design details published (closed-loop liquid cooling) blogs.microsoft.com (opens in a new tab)
Markets
Technologies
Sources (4), last checked 18 Oct 2026
- Azure regions list (opens in a new tab), Microsoft Learn, published 13 Oct 2026, accessed 18 Oct 2026
- Microsoft completes construction on first datacenter facility in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin (opens in a new tab), Microsoft Source, published 23 Jun 2026, accessed 18 Oct 2026
- Inside the world's most powerful AI datacenter (opens in a new tab), Microsoft, published 18 Sept 2025, accessed 18 Oct 2026
- Saudi Arabia East region available November 2026 (opens in a new tab), Microsoft Source EMEA, published 2026-08, accessed 18 Oct 2026
Last checked 18 Oct 2026 by CoolPower Index research (automated, sourced). Report a correction.