Microsoft Iowa Data Center Unveiling Tomorrow

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has scheduled a press conference at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning at the State Capitol Building to announce a "major economic development" project, where he is expected to confirm that Microsoft will build a major data center in West Des Moines.

Microsoft executives have confirmed that the company will build a data center in Iowa. In February state legislators passed a tax incentive package similar to those that helped lure Google to build a $600 million data center in Council Bluffs. Microsoft had not previously announced a site for the project, with recent reports indicating West Des Moines was competing with Urbandale. Both cities are western suburbs of Des Moines. Microsoft's recent data center projects have been in the range of 550,000 square feet with an investment of $500 million.