The Racine County Board of Supervisors has voted to approve a $1 billion Microsoft data center campus in Wisconsin.

The project was previously approved by the Village of Mount Pleasant, meaning that Microsoft can now pay the local government $50 million for 315 acres of land, which is part of a wider 2,500-acre plot that was originally set aside for a Foxconn manufacturing hub.

On the Racine board, 18 voted for the deal and one against. Racine County Supervisor Tom Kramer called the deal "a dream," local media reports. "You have 315 acres going back on the tax roll. And the company that's putting it there is an internationally known company."

Supervisor Robert Miller added: "Jobs are important, but the size of the investment is equally important."

Per the terms of the deal, Microsoft will have to start the first phase of construction by July 2026. The second phase of construction must begin by July 2033. If it fails to meet those deadlines, Racine County or Mount Pleasant can buy the land back.

Racine County Supervisor Tom Kramer called the deal "a dream." "You have 315 acres going back on the tax roll. And the company that's putting it there is an internationally known company."

The land was originally part of a proposal from Foxconn to spend $10bn on a giant manufacturing hub. It was set to employ 13,000 people, in return for $4.8 billion in tax breaks - the largest subsidy ever given to a foreign company by the US. But most of the company's promises have not materialized, and the Taiwanese manufacturer has repeatedly changed plans and then failed to live up to promises.

It currently builds servers for Google data centers as well as networking gear for Cisco at the site, and operates a small, globe-shaped data center.