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Microsoft is expanding its Iowa data-center footprint in West Des Moines, but the expansion is not one single newly announced facility. It combines construction at the Ginger East and Ginger West campuses with Project Ruthenium, a planned sixth campus near Veterans Parkway and Woodland Avenue.
The projects represent a major long-term construction and infrastructure program. They could bring substantial construction employment, tax-base growth and public improvements, while also increasing scrutiny of water capacity, electricity demand, traffic, land use and the cost of supporting infrastructure.
Microsoft’s Iowa expansion at a glance
| Project | Location | Status | Known details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger East | Near SE Maffitt Lake Road | Existing campus receiving additional site-plan work | West Des Moines approved a fifth and final building; Microsoft and project representatives have described newer cooling technology as “zero-water.” |
| Ginger West | 11100 Booneville Road | Under construction | Turner Construction is the general contractor. Microsoft estimates construction completion in summer 2028. |
| Project Ruthenium | Veterans Parkway near Woodland Avenue | Development agreement approved; planned sixth campus | First phase: about 245,000 square feet, an estimated $210 million investment and approximately 25 full-time operational jobs. |
West Des Moines’ 2025 economic-development report describes five Microsoft campuses as built or under construction and a sixth proposed. The city estimates Microsoft’s cumulative investment in the community at approximately $6 billion. That is a city economic-development estimate, not the price of Project Ruthenium alone or an independently audited final total.
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Project Ruthenium: the planned sixth campus
Project Ruthenium is the most significant new development in the current expansion story. West Des Moines approved a development agreement for a Microsoft campus along Veterans Parkway near Woodland Avenue, west of the existing Osmium development.
The first phase is described as a roughly 245,000-square-foot building with an estimated investment of $210 million. The project is expected to create approximately 25 full-time operational jobs and hundreds of construction jobs, according to Go West Des Moines.
The site could eventually accommodate as many as four buildings. That potential buildout matters because the first building should not be treated as the final size of the campus. At the same time, later buildings are not equivalent to confirmed construction. They would require additional design, permitting, financing and construction decisions.
Ruthenium is therefore best described as a planned or proposed sixth campus with an approved development agreement—not as an operating data center.
Ginger West: construction through an estimated summer 2028
Microsoft is also building at the Ginger West site at 11100 Booneville Road. Microsoft has contracted Turner Construction as general contractor and says construction is expected to be completed in summer 2028.
That date is a construction estimate, not a guaranteed date for commercial operation, Azure availability or a public launch. A completed shell still may require equipment installation, testing, commissioning, network work and regulatory approvals before the facility is fully operational.
Microsoft’s construction update lists permitted work hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Residents near the site should expect the practical effects of a multiyear project, including heavy-truck traffic, noise, dust, lighting and changing road conditions.
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The Microsoft Ginger West construction update provides the company’s current schedule and construction details. The Iowa DNR facility record is another useful source for regulatory and facility information.
Ginger East and the “zero-water” cooling claim
West Des Moines approved a site-plan modification for a fifth and final building at the 124-acre Ginger East campus. Reporting by Axios Des Moines says Microsoft and project representatives described newer buildings as using a “zero-water” cooling design.
That phrase requires care. It should not be read as proof that the facilities use absolutely no water in every circumstance. Cooling may be designed to use little or no water during normal operation, while water can still be relevant to humidification, fire protection, maintenance, emergency systems or other site functions. The available information also does not establish that the design applies to every existing Microsoft building in West Des Moines.
The important question is not simply whether a project is labeled zero-water. It is how much water each building is designed to use annually and during peak conditions, how usage will be measured, and whether those figures will be publicly disclosed.
Timeline of the expansion
- July 2016: West Des Moines announced an earlier Microsoft data-center project described at the time as a $1.5 billion to $2 billion project and part of nearly $3.5 billion in regional Microsoft investment. See the city’s 2016 announcement.
- November 2024: West Des Moines planning documents listed a major site-plan modification for Microsoft DSM 44 at 11100 Booneville Road.
- 2024: Microsoft agreed to reimburse West Des Moines Water Works up to $13 million toward an aquifer-storage-and-recovery well associated with Ruthenium.
- 2025: Microsoft reported approximately 540 employees at its Iowa facilities and projected more than 1,660 peak construction jobs and 6.8 million work hours for new facilities.
- January 2026: Site-plan work for the final Ginger East building was approved, amid reporting about the newer cooling design.
- 2026: West Des Moines approved the Ruthenium development agreement for the planned sixth campus.
- Summer 2028: Microsoft’s estimated completion date for Ginger West construction.
Jobs: large construction workforce, smaller permanent workforce
Microsoft’s 2025 Iowa fact sheet says the company’s Iowa facilities employed approximately 540 people as of 2025. It also estimates that new-facility construction would require approximately 6.8 million work hours and more than 1,660 peak construction jobs.
Those figures describe different kinds of employment:
- Construction jobs are temporary and may peak during a particular phase of the build.
- Operational jobs continue after a facility opens but are typically far fewer than construction positions.
- Contractor jobs are not necessarily direct Microsoft employment.
- Peak employment is not the same as average employment or the number of workers hired locally.
Project Ruthenium’s estimated 25 full-time operational positions should therefore be presented separately from its hundreds of construction jobs. The project is highly capital-intensive, but that does not automatically make it a large permanent-employment generator compared with a factory, office campus or distribution operation.
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Tax revenue and public infrastructure
West Des Moines says Microsoft’s facilities have expanded the commercial property-tax base, supported public infrastructure and helped open more than 4,500 acres for additional development. A city development official has also said that nearly $200 million in public improvements were produced through tax-increment financing.
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For Ruthenium specifically, the city is expected to provide approximately $15 million in public improvements, including roads and utility extensions, according to Go West Des Moines.
These figures are claims and estimates from West Des Moines officials, and they should be evaluated as part of the project’s full public-cost picture. Key questions include:
- How much tax revenue will be collected immediately, and how much is deferred through incentives?
- Do city, county and school-district revenues receive the same benefits?
- Will the roads and utility extensions serve other development or primarily the Microsoft campus?
- Who pays for long-term maintenance after construction is complete?
- Do water-system and electrical upgrades create costs for other users?
A large private investment can produce valuable public infrastructure while still requiring careful analysis of who pays, who benefits and when.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Water demand and the aquifer-storage project
Water is one of the most important unresolved issues surrounding the expansion. Reporting based on utility information indicates that Microsoft used approximately 68.5 million gallons in 2024, or about 2.62% of the West Des Moines water system total. Other reporting has cited peak monthly usage of up to 11.5 million gallons.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThose figures are not interchangeable. The first is an annual total, the second is a percentage of annual system use, and the third is a monthly peak. A yearly average can conceal short periods of much higher demand during hot weather or high operating loads.
West Des Moines Water Works documents a finance agreement under which Microsoft will reimburse the utility up to $13 million toward a 3-million-gallon-per-day aquifer-storage-and-recovery well intended to support the city water system and Project Ruthenium. The agreement is described in the utility’s 2024 year-end audit materials.
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The arrangement could strengthen overall system capacity, but it also raises accountability questions. Public information should clarify whether the well is dedicated to Microsoft, shared with the broader system, or intended to serve both purposes; how much water the new campus will actually use; and whether the “zero-water” design applies to Ruthenium, Ginger East, Ginger West or only particular future buildings.
Electricity, renewable energy and AI workloads
West Des Moines officials and Microsoft say the data centers are powered with 100% renewable energy, primarily wind. That is significant for the project’s reported carbon profile, but renewable-energy procurement or accounting is not necessarily the same as a facility receiving electricity from dedicated wind generation every hour.
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The available information does not establish a final megawatt figure for Ruthenium, Ginger East or Ginger West. It also does not identify the full cost or scope of utility and transmission upgrades, the treatment of backup generators, or whether any costs could be passed through to other electricity customers.
Microsoft has described its Iowa infrastructure as supporting cloud services and AI supercomputing. That context helps explain why the company continues expanding in the region, alongside existing land, roads, utilities, transmission access, workforce and economic-development policies. It does not establish that every new building will be dedicated exclusively to AI workloads.
Residents and utilities should watch for project-specific filings that disclose:
- Peak and continuous electrical demand.
- Substation and transmission requirements.
- Backup-generator capacity, fuel storage and testing schedules.
- Responsibility for grid-upgrade costs.
- Whether demand changes as AI computing expands.
What residents should expect
The immediate effects will be most visible during construction: truck traffic, noise, dust, lighting, temporary access changes and pressure on nearby roads. The longer-term effects will depend on the final number of buildings, their power and water requirements, the number of permanent workers and the amount of related development attracted to the surrounding area.
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Emergency planning deserves attention as well. Large data centers can involve backup generators, substations, fuel systems and specialized fire-protection requirements. Future public reviews should make those risks and response responsibilities clear.
Quick Recap
Known versus not yet public
| Known or reported | Not established by the available information |
|---|---|
| West Des Moines is the center of Microsoft’s documented Iowa expansion. | The final power demand of the new and planned facilities. |
| Ginger West is under construction, with Microsoft estimating completion in summer 2028. | The date when Ginger West will become fully operational. |
| Ruthenium’s first phase is about 245,000 square feet and estimated at $210 million. | Whether all four potential Ruthenium buildings will be built. |
| Ruthenium is expected to have about 25 full-time operational jobs and hundreds of construction jobs. | How many jobs will go to West Des Moines residents or Iowa workers. |
| Microsoft has reported renewable-energy use and newer cooling designs described as “zero-water.” | Whether every building has the same cooling system or uses no water in every operating circumstance. |
| Microsoft agreed to support a 3-million-gallon-per-day aquifer-storage-and-recovery well through up to $13 million in reimbursements. | The project’s final annual and peak water demand and the complete allocation of well capacity. |
What this expansion does not mean
- It does not mean all six campuses are operating.
- It does not mean $6 billion is the cost of the new Ruthenium campus alone.
- It does not mean “zero-water” cooling eliminates all possible water use.
- It does not establish a final electricity-demand figure.
- It does not establish that all projected jobs will go to local residents.
- It does not mean a summer 2028 construction completion date is an immediate consumer-service launch.
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