Microsoft plans a major expansion of artificial intelligence education and job training programs in southeast Wisconsin, along with a huge increase in its plans for a data center complex now under construction in Mount Pleasant.
Microsoft Corp. President Brad Smith will be joined by President Joe Biden in Racine County on Wednesday to highlight Microsoft's moves, which build upon the company's previous investments in the state.
Smith will announce a significant acceleration of the Mount Pleasant data center project, including a large increase of its value compared to the $1.4 billion it pledged when it bought more than 1,000 acres in the village's Wisconsin Innovation Park late last year.
The project is expected to bring 2,000 union construction jobs to the area by the end of this year.
Worker and business artificial intelligence training promised
He also will announce details of a multimillion-dollar investor in worker and business training partnerships that involve upskilling for non-traditional workers, a data center technician training program, and programs to provide business leaders and their technical and engineering teams with training to help them understand and effectively adopt AI and other emerging technology. Smith said the company hopes to provide training to 100,000 workers.
The jobs and training programs are tied to the construction of Microsoft's massive data center, the company's TitletownTech partnership with the Green Bay Packers, the company's involvement with the University of Wisconsin's Connected Systems Institute and technical education programs that Microsoft has supported in northeastern Wisconsin and Milwaukee.
"This builds on everything we've been doing for the last more than five years in Green Bay," Smith said in an interview on Tuesday.
"It builds on what we've been doing with the Connected Systems Institute at UW-Milwaukee. It builds on what I regard as a partnership that is unique ‒ the partnership between Microsoft and the Green Bay Packers. You know, it's just to me a fascinating example of how you can be more ambitious in the future if you've built a strong foundation."
Efforts focus on "the AI economy"
The jobs and training programs aim to bolster Wisconsin business and workers' participation in "the AI economy," with a multi-pronged approach that will open opportunities for students, workers in need of new skills, business leaders and others. The package of programs will be unique to Wisconsin with a focus on strengthening and building the state's manufacturing base.
"Wisconsin was settled and and founded in many ways, based on advances in manufacturing, and this is about making Wisconsin a global leader in manufacturing for the next three decades," Smith said.
Biden to contrast Microsoft growth with criticism on U.S. economy
Biden will speak in Racine County near the business park where Microsoft now owns nearly 2 square miles of developable land, most of which had been controlled by Foxconn International Holdings and held in reserve for what was to be a massive large-screen LCD manufacturing complex that was to create 13,000 jobs.
Biden is expected to tout the fast growth of Microsoft's plans for the Mount Pleasant data center and its commitment to business and workforce development as a prime example of the success of his economic growth and future-facing job creation policies.
The focus on Microsoft could allow Biden to draw a distinction between the speed with which the Microsoft development is coming together compared with the unfulfilled promise of its neighbor, Foxconn, which former President Donald Trump dubbed "the eighth wonder of the world" at a 2017 groundbreaking.
Trump so far made two campaign stops in Wisconsin this year. At both, he claimed Biden's policies caused inflation and have in general been bad for the country.
The message Biden is expected to deliver would parallel those made during previous stops in Wisconsin by the president and other administration officials other to highlight progress in the administration's "Investing in America" initiative, a package of bills passed in late 2021 and early 2022 that aims to encourage investments in domestic manufacturing and infrastructure, accelerate the nation's transition to clean energy, and create new, well-paying jobs.
Those messages aim to build support for Biden at a time when a recent Marquette University Law School poll found Wisconsin voters consider likely GOP nominee Trump better than Biden on the economy by a 52-34 margin.
More than building a data center, Microsoft aims to transform a state economy
Microsoft's first data center building is under construction and expected to open in 2026, and plans outlining three others have been submitted to the village. In all, the company owns nearly 2 square miles of industrial land, positioning it for decades of new construction.
The company's move beyond the brick and mortar project in Mount Pleasant stems from the company's recognition that its position as a technology innovator needs to be tied to a public benefit, Smith said.
"You can't have a great company without contributing to a great community. You need the community to support the company, the company needs to support the community," he said.
UWM, Gateway to help businesses adapt to changing tech environment
A centerpiece of the plan is a partnership with UW-Milwaukee and Gateway Technical College to launch an AI Co-Innovation Lab, an immersive training program in which companies' tech teams work with Microsoft AI and Internet of Things specialists to solve problems, develop technology strategies or simply better understand the opportunities new technology offers for manufacturing operations.
The lab would be Microsoft's third in the U.S. and the first east of the Rocky Mountains. As the first innovation lab that is a partnership with a university and focused on manufacturing, it is expected to become a magnet for companies across the country, Microsoft said.
The lab would be housed at UWM's Connected Systems Institute, a research and education center focused on advanced industrial processes. Microsoft in January gave the CSI $1.2 million to expand its programs. It also donated $1.5 million in 2019.
Staff would include two full-time and three part-time employees hired by Microsoft as well as two people from Titletown Tech, the initiative started in partnership with the Green Bay Packers in 2019 to provide venture capital and business development resources to technology entrepreneurs.
Participation in the program, which aims to work with about 50 businesses, would be free. In addition to business training, the program would provide internship and fellowship opportunities for students and a pipeline to Titletown Tech for startup companies that enroll in the program.
The training and education initiatives also include:
Partnering withgener8or, a Madison-based startup business and skills accelerator program, to provide AI-related training for southeast Wisconsin leaders at primarily small and mid-sized businesses. The goal is to provide training for 1,000 companies over the next five years.
Expanding a partnership with United Way, schools and other organizations to bring people into quick-hitting, boot camp-style skills training programs for roles in well-paying tech fields. United Way is a key partner because of its ability to reach people who face barriers to well-paying jobs, the company said. The goal is to create 100,000 opportunities by 2030 for people to learn new skills and to use new applications, including Microsoft Copilot, a suite of Microsoft AI services.
Opening apreviously announced data center academyat Gateway Technical College that will train up to 200 students a year as data center technicians. Graduates could be hired to work at Mount Pleasant or at other regional data centers.
Partnering with Racine Unified School District to expand its Girls in STEM program to two additional middle schools, allowing it to reach more than 500 middle-school aged girls over next five years.
Working with Racine County to support its Summer Youth Employment Program, matching at least 125 working-age high school students a year with local employers for on the job training.
"The big thing is reaching 100,000 people with skilling, reaching businesses so that they can really innovate in manufacturing," Smith said. "That's why we're building the infrastructure in the first place. So let's make sure the infrastructure serves the people and businesses of Wisconsin and that it isn't just a place that uses the land to serve the rest of the country."
Just in time for this year's prom, students in Racine Unified School District can purchase their tickets in cash.
The agreement to accept cash payment for the county's main prom event comes 11 months after some students began advocating for the school district to expand options for cash ticketing. Those students said online-only ticket sales for school events caused barriers for low-income and non-English speaking families.
Racine's main prom event is organized by the Racine Founder's Rotary Club, not the school district. The service organization hosts a county-wide prom for high school students called "Post Prom." Not all high schools in the county have a traditional prom, so "Post Prom" is the only version of prom some students have access to.
Racine Unified School District spokesperson Stacy Tapp said the district asked Racine Rotary to accept cash payment for prom, and the organizers agreed.
"I think we're the only district in the county that requested to do cash sales," Tapp said in an email.
However, some students said they are unsatisfied that some RUSD schools are only offering cash sales on certain days.
A crowd of more than 40 students gathered on the lawn outside of the RUSD offices on May 1. Students and two teachers took turns speaking in a megaphone to demand the district reinstate cash payment for all events and for all days prom tickets are sold.
"It is a win, but why only two days? Why can't it be more?" said Jessica Malacara, a teacher and parent at Horlick High School.
Many of the students were from Horlick and are members of Youth Empowered in the Struggle, the youth chapter of immigrant rights organization Voces de la Frontera. They began protesting after the school district transferred ticketing for all after-school events to the online system Ticket Spicket in 2022.
The district stopped offering cash sales at events due to safety concerns and lack of staffing, said Tapp, the school district spokesperson.
But students with Youth Empowered in the Struggle said the limits on cash payment exclude households that don't have access to bank accounts or can't navigate the Ticket Spicket website in English.
The students' request to reinstate an on-site cash payment system for all after school events was turned down by Horlick and RUSD leadership, although district officials said staff will find ways to accommodate students who can only pay in cash.
Eliana Gibson, 17, said it's disappointing that cash sales for Post Prom tickets are restricted to just two days out of the two weeks that Horlick High School is selling tickets. She said students have to purchase tickets during lunch, and the line is so long that students might not have enough time to get their ticket and eat.
"People have to make sure that they get their money, and if it's only two days, it's like putting a barrier on them," Gibson said. "I don't think that's OK at all."
Tapp said the decision about how and when to sell prom tickets is made on a school-by-school basis. She encouraged students to approach their principals directly with complaints.
"The YES students are well-spoken and have demonstrated their ability to speak up for themselves and their peers," she said in an email. "If they have concerns, I would encourage them to approach their school leaders who are always willing to listen and work together when possible."
In previous years, Racine Rotary accepted cash payment, said spokesperson Alicia Schmitz. Racine Rotary has since transitioned to using the digital ticketing system Eventbrite because schools prefer it, she said.
"We're doing everything we can to work with the schools, and we will not turn the students away regardless of how the payment has to come in," Schmitz said.
The Biden administration is expected to reclassify the federal government's position on marijuana, shifting it from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug.
The change would mean the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration would treat marijuana as a drug that can be lawfully prescribed as medication, rather than one believed to be highly dangerous, addictive and without medical use.
The move wouldn't fully legalize the drug, but would follow recommendations by the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice to place marijuana alongside drugs like testosterone, ketamine, Tylenol with codeine and anabolic steroids — substances deemed to have "moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence."
Schedule III drugs can be legally prescribed by licensed health care providers and dispensed by licensed pharmacies.
Marijuana has been a Schedule I drug since the Controlled Substances Act was signed in 1970.
What would reclassification mean for Wisconsin?
Probably not much, at least at first. Marijuana is illegal in Wisconsin, and the DEA reclassification would not fully address the inconsistencies between federal restrictions and state laws.
But it could open the door to additional research, which would further inform policymakers as they consider changes going forward.
The Wisconsin Medical Society supports reclassification, "with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods." The organization has previously opposed "medical" marijuana proposals because of the lack of scientific research available on the drug, particularly which elements of the plant have therapeutic potential and which could cause harm.
Is marijuana legal in Wisconsin now?
No.
Marijuana use of any kind is illegal in Wisconsin. Penalties for possession vary. A first offense in a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $1,000 fine. Additional offenses are charged as felonies.
Transporting marijuana from one state back to Wisconsin is a federal crime because cannabis is still illegal under federal law.
Have elected officials considered legalization?
Yes.
Democratic proposals to legalize marijuana have generally been met with GOP resistance. In recent years, some Republican lawmakers have shown interest in legalizing cannabis for medicinal use, but have struggled to reach consensus.
Most recently, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and other Assembly Republicans put forward a medical marijuana bill that would have created state-run dispensaries and would not allow users to smoke cannabis.
How popular is the idea of legalizing cannabis use?
Wisconsin is one of 12 states where recreational or medical marijuana is not available.
Using marijuana for medical purposes with a doctor's approval is a popular idea among Wisconsin voters — 86% supported it in a January 2024 Marquette University Law School poll. In the same poll, full legalization was supported by 63% of Wisconsin voters.
What about all the cannabis products already for sale in Wisconsin?
A recent investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Examination and AL.com found that chemical cousins to marijuana — with names like delta-8, HHC and THCH — are prevalent in Wisconsin at gas stations, strip mall dispensaries and even tourist shops.
The investigation found that these largely unregulated products are causing a sharp rise in reports of children and adults getting sick, alarming doctors and public health researchers.
The emergence of delta-8 and similar products can be traced to the 2018 Farm Bill, when Congress legalized the sale of hemp and products extracted from it. Hemp is a variety of the cannabis plant that has low levels of delta-9 THC, the psychoactive compound that gets people high.
Jessie Opoien
Gina Lee Castro
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