Microsoft Ginger West & East: $1.5B+ Data Centers West Des Moines
Status: Under Construction (March 2026) | Location: West Des Moines (Polk/Dallas/Warren Counties), Iowa
Project Overview
As of March 2026, West Des Moines is seeing its highest-ever building permit valuation, driven largely by Microsoft’s "Ginger" expansion. Project Ginger West and Project Ginger East are concurrent developments aimed at solidifying Iowa as a global epicenter for AI. Each campus features multiple data center buildings, with recent permits valued at $374.5M per building at Ginger West and $384M per building at Ginger East. Technically, these sites are designed to support the massive compute requirements of the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership, following the blueprint of the original Azure supercomputer built in Iowa. Construction is being managed by Turner Construction (West) and The Weitz Company (East). To support this growth, Microsoft and the city have completed approximately $182 million in regional infrastructure projects, opening up 4,500 acres for further development. Notably, these facilities are matching 100% of their energy usage with Iowa's renewable resources, primarily wind.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Project Name | Microsoft Ginger West & East: $1.5B+ Data Centers West Des Moines |
| Location | West Des Moines (Polk/Dallas/Warren Counties), Iowa |
| Status | Under Construction (March 2026) |
| Commissioning | Ginger West: Summer 2028; Ginger East: Mid-2028 |
| Total IT Load | Ginger East: 444 MW; Ginger West: 207 MW |
| Total Capacity | ~1.8M Sq. Ft. per campus footprint |
| Tier Level | Tier IV (AI-Optimized Cloud Infrastructure) |
| Project Type | Hyperscale AI Training & Azure Cloud Node |
City Profile
| Header | Details |
|---|
| City Name | West Des Moines |
| Population | ~68,700 |
| Urban Agglomeration | ~720,000 (Des Moines–West Des Moines Metro) |
| City GDP | ~$60–65 billion (metro GDP) |
| Per Capita Income | ~$42,000 |
| City Tier | Tier 2 (Emerging Tech & Financial Hub – USA) |
| Key Strengths | Insurance & financial services hub, growing data center market, strong connectivity, business-friendly environment, proximity to major Midwest markets |
Companies Involved
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Developer / Operator | Microsoft |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | City of West Des Moines / MidAmerican Energy. |
| Construction Contractor | Ginger West: Turner Construction; Ginger East: The Weitz Co. |
| MEP Engineering | Microsoft Global Infrastructure Design. |
| Network Connectivity | Core node for the "Midwest AI Ring" linking to Chicago and Omaha. |
| Power Infrastructure | New dedicated high-voltage substations; 100% renewable match. |
Technical Specifications
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Power Capacity | Campus Total: ~651 MW (Combined Ginger Load) |
| UPS Redundancy | $2N$ configuration with modular lithium-ion BESS. |
| Cooling System | AI-optimized water-efficient cooling (LEED Gold targets). |
| Connectivity | Strategic hub for ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Azure OpenAI. |
| PUE Target | < 1.12 |
| Energy Mix | 100% Renewable matching via MidAmerican Energy wind portfolio. |
Milestones
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Announcement | June 2024 (6th Campus Reveal) |
| Construction Start | Late 2025 (Full mobilization) |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | Mid-2028 |
| Full Buildout | 2030 |
Investment Details
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Total Investment | $6 Billion (Total regional planned footprint) |
| Funding | Microsoft Corporation Capital Expenditures. |