Fayetteville, GA · Fayette County · 33.449°N 84.455°W
Microsoft Fairwater Atlanta (Azure AI Superfactory)
Microsoft
Key facts
- Location
- Fayetteville, GA, Fayette County
- Capacity
- 1,500 MW planned
- Powered by
- Georgia Power
- Announced
- 2025
- Last updated
Civic impact
Economics
Energy & water
- Energy source
- Grid · Utility: Georgia Power
- Cooling
- Closed-loop
Two-story design with no UPS or backup generators (DCD, Oct 2025) — no on-site generation. Microsoft states Fairwater uses improved closed-loop cooling that 'consumes almost zero water in its operation.' Georgia Power 2025 IRP testimony cites the QTS Fayetteville campus as a single load of just under 1,500 MW at full build-out.
QTS closed-loop 'water-free' design (COO Ryan Hunter: 'Once the water's in there, it stays in there for the life of the asset'); ~600,000-gal one-time fill per building, ongoing per-building use 'equivalent to four American households per month.' During construction the campus drew ~29-30M gallons through two unmetered connections (2024-25); Fayette County issued a ~$147,000 retroactive charge and no fine. No operational daily figure for the Microsoft tenant space specifically.
Public subsidies
- Fayette County Development Authority 10-year stepped property-tax abatement (0% yr 1 -> 100% yr 10, +10%/yr) on the QTS 'Project Excalibur' campus; also qualifies for Georgia's statewide data-center sales-and-use tax exemptionFayette County, GA · 2023
Community sentiment
Fayetteville adopted a 90-day moratorium (Jan 29 2026) then unanimously passed Ordinance 26-O-12 (March 5 2026) banning new data centers in all zoning districts; existing Fairwater 1/2 and the Dec 2025 East Campus rezoning are grandfathered. Opposition centered on construction traffic, the ~29M-gal unmetered water draw, and new 500 kV transmission lines; Mayor Edward Johnson expressed support. A competing Crow Holdings proposal withdrew its appeal after the ban. No litigation against the Fairwater campus.
Microsoft Fairwater Atlanta: a grid-only gigawatt AI data centerStatus history
- Operational
Microsoft's Atlanta Fairwater AI datacenter began operation in October 2025 — the second in the Fairwater family; two-story, no UPS/gensets
From Wisconsin to Atlanta, Microsoft connects datacenters to build its first AI superfactory
Location
Sources & data provenance
Confirmed: data verified against official filings, permits, or direct operator announcements.
Last updated:
- MicrosoftRetrieved:
- Data Center DynamicsRetrieved:
- The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionRetrieved:
- The CitizenRetrieved:
- Measured AIRetrieved:
- WBRCRetrieved:
- Fayette County Development AuthorityRetrieved:
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