Multimillion Dollar Computing Facility No Longer Coming to Wisconsin Rapids
Thursday, July 24th, 2025 -- 8:00 AM
(Caitlin Shuda, Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune) A multimillion dollar computing facility planned for Wisconsin Rapids is no longer happening.
According to Caitlin Shuda with the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, Digital Power Optimization Inc., a privately-held New York-based company, announced in January it planned to lease a 6-acre parcel of land from a 15-acre parcel owned by Consolidated Water Power Company and would develop a $200 million facility capable of up to 20 megawatts of artificial intelligence computing.
Kyle Kearns, the city’s director of community development, told a Daily Tribune reporter July 23 DPO had been working with the city on its due diligence, but earlier in July, the company told him the site was not suitable for its development plans and DPO would not be moving forward on the project in Wisconsin Rapids.
Digital Power Optimization Inc. did not immediately respond to a Daily Tribune reporter’s request for comment or answer questions about the reason behind the change in plans.
Andrew Webber, the founder and CEO of Digital Power Optimization, told a Daily Tribune reporter in January the development would be a “power-dense data center” designed for AI computing operations.
Running AI demands a lot of power, and at the time, Webber said partnering with CWPCo would be a win-win, allowing DPO to operate off of hydroelectric power and helping CWPCo maintain its hydroelectric projects and covering some fixed costs.
The $200 million would have been largely toward the computers inside the building. In January, Webber said DPO expected to create more than 100 jobs on-site between 2025 and 2026 on the construction side, assembling the facilities on site, including electricians and tradespeople.
In the long-term, Webber said he expected to create 12-20 full-time jobs at the facility, including maintenance, security and IT management.
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