Microsoft Activates Atlanta Fairwater Data Center, Linking to Wisconsin for AI Superfactory Network

Microsoft has brought its new Atlanta Fairwater data center online, reports Data Center Dynamics. The two-story facility, located in Georgia, is the second site in Microsoft’s Fairwater network and connects with the first in Wisconsin through a dedicated AI Wide Area Network using fiber-optic links.

The Atlanta site uses a closed-loop liquid cooling system and houses hundreds of thousands of Nvidia GB200 and GB300 GPUs. Each rack supports up to 72 Blackwell GPUs connected via NVLink, with 800 Gbps GPU-to-GPU connectivity across an ethernet-based backend network. Microsoft’s SONiC operating system manages network switches, and a custom Multi-Path Reliable Connected protocol was developed with OpenAI and Nvidia to optimize routing.

The company designed the two-story layout to minimize the distance between racks and opted to omit traditional on-site power generation, UPS systems, and dual-corded distribution, citing Atlanta’s reliable grid. This approach reduced deployment time and costs.

Microsoft plans to connect additional Fairwater facilities to form a distributed supercomputer capable of running large-scale AI workloads across multiple sites simultaneously.