Wisconsin residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft, claiming that its Fairwater data center in Mount Pleasant generates "unreasonable and excessive noise" that infringes upon their properties. The suit, filed on Wednesday, seeks an undisclosed amount in damages and alleges that the noise originates from the facility's diesel generators and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, including chillers, cooling towers, air-handling units, and condenser fans.
The lawsuit defines the class as "All owner-occupants and renters of residential property residing within one and one-half (1.5) miles of Defendant’s Data Center at any time within the applicable statute of limitations," potentially encompassing over 1,000 homes. Plaintiffs report noise levels ranging between 48 and 60 decibels, and also allege the creation of an inaudible "low hum" of infrasound that circumvents typical municipal noise ordinances. One plaintiff stated that the persistent noise disrupted their sleep, forcing a change in their work schedule.
Microsoft had committed $7 billion to the Fairwater facility, aiming to establish it as a powerful AI data center. The company acknowledged awareness of sound issues in April, stating it was investigating the cause and emphasizing its commitment to being a "good neighbor." On June 18, Microsoft asserted that noise mitigation efforts had been implemented and, according to independent monitoring and neighbor confirmations, fully resolved the issue. However, the class-action lawsuit filed on July 1 suggests that these measures did not satisfy all affected parties, with the filing contending that Microsoft "has failed to follow proper industrial practices to prevent the offsite emission of noise, and has failed to absorb, capture, mitigate, and/or prevent noise from escaping its Data Center."