Microsoft’s $3.3 billion data center project in Mount Pleasant will require up to 8.4 million gallons of water per year, according to data released Wednesday by the city of Racine. The data center is currently under construction at the site initially planned to hold the Foxconn manufacturing plant in Mount Pleasant and expected to begin operation next year. The water for the data center is being provided by the Racine Water Utility under an agreement with the village of Mount Pleasant. According to the Racine projections, the first phase of operations on the data center campus would use a peak of 234,000 gallons per day or 2.8 million gallons per year. Across the country and Wisconsin, data centers such as the site in Mount Pleasant have been proliferating as tech companies race to develop AI tools and chatbots.