Microsoft Opens New AI Data Center as Stock Struggles Despite Expansion

Microsoft continues its aggressive AI infrastructure rollout with the July 9 opening of its Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin data center, yet shares remain under pressure and more than 15% below recent highs. The facility, completed ahead of schedule on June 23, joins the June 22 announcement of a 2 GW Texas campus and the July 2 launch of the $2.5 billion Microsoft Frontier Co. AI implementation unit employing 6,000 engineers. A July 1 agreement with Haleon to deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot further demonstrates customer traction, while Wall Street maintains a Strong Buy rating and $552 average price target even as Stifel reiterated a Hold with a $400 target on June 25.