Microsoft faces a proposed class action from Wisconsin residents who say constant noise from the Fairwater AI data centre has disrupted sleep, outdoor use and life inside nearby homes.
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The legal case focuses on private nuisance and negligence rather than the wider debate over AI energy use. Plaintiffs Garret Ostergaard, David Wade and Joy Wade claim Fairwater sends persistent industrial noise beyond Microsoft property and into surrounding homes.
The filing points to cooling towers, condenser fans, air handling units, chillers, HVAC equipment and diesel generators. Residents report noise levels of roughly 48 to 60 decibels, along with a low frequency hum that standard municipal measurements may not fully detect.
Ostergaard claims sleep disruption forced him to change from a third shift work schedule to a second shift schedule. David Wade and Joy Wade say the hum has reduced their ability to use their backyard.
The proposed class includes anyone who owned, rented or occupied residential property within 1.5 miles of the Mount Pleasant site during the relevant legal period. The complaint seeks damages in an amount not yet specified.
Microsoft acknowledged a tonal sound in April after residents north of Fairwater complained. An internal investigation linked the hum to cooling fans running at high speed during site startup. The company said the facility still met local noise rules.
By June 18, Microsoft said engineers had installed mitigation measures and that independent monitoring showed the problem had been resolved.
“Several neighbors confirmed what our independent monitoring showed: that these mitigations fully resolved the issue.”
The July 1 lawsuit presents a different account. Plaintiffs argue Microsoft failed to use enough barriers, walls or other sound controls to stop noise from reaching homes.
Fairwater recently became operational and forms the first part of a larger Microsoft campus in Mount Pleasant. Microsoft has described the $7 billion project as the “world’s most powerful AI data center,” built to handle large AI training workloads.
A Microsoft spokesperson said the company knew about the lawsuit and remained “committed to being a good neighbor in the communities where we build, own, and operate our datacenters.”
In related Microsoft news, the company just announced 4,800 lay offs in a move that has shocked the gaming community.