Big Data, Great Lakes

A Journalism Workshop Exploring Data Centers in Southeastern Wisconsin

March 15 - 18, 2026
Milwaukee

Applications due February 6

The United States currently has the largest data center footprint in the world and there are no signs development will slow down. The Great Lakes region is home to nearly 20 percent of U.S. data centers and hundreds more are being planned or under construction. While the tech industry races to keep up with the computing demands of things like artificial intelligence (AI), streaming and cloud storage, local communities struggle to balance environmental and energy concerns with the potential economic boost of what some are calling an “AI gold rush.”  

This March 15-18, the Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources will conduct an expenses-paid workshop that will get journalists up to speed on this emerging issue. Participants will go out in the field to meet the people shaping the data center discourse in the Great Lakes. Set in and around Milwaukee, the workshop will explore what data center development may mean for states and communities in this water-rich region. Participants will speak with local municipal leaders, tech industry representatives, state regulators, environmental groups and more as they learn about new developments for companies like Meta and Microsoft, construction moratoriums, the increasing demand for energy, growing water concerns and future projections for a “freshwater economy.”

The program will begin and end in Milwaukee, with stops in communities such as Port Washington, Janesville and Racine. Participants will gain sources, build their background knowledge and collect story ideas as they get a first-hand look at the different ways data centers are shaping local communities as well as the way those communities are attempting to regulate and shape data center development. 

To Apply:

Applicants must submit a resume, three clips and a statement of interest via Submittable.

IJNR will select up to 18 applicants who represent diversity in geography, outlet, race, gender, experience, and journalistic medium. Priority consideration will be given to journalists of color.

Participation is free. IJNR covers all program expenses (food, lodging, local travel) during programs.

Applications due Friday, February 6

Questions? Reach us at contact@ijnr.org