Microsoft's "biomimicry" program aims to blend data centers into local ecosystems using restored wetlands and native gardens. The company says the approach is now part of all new U.S. projects, with named sites in Virginia, Wisconsin, Georgia, Germany, and elsewhere. A tool called Ecosystem Intelligence, running on Azure, scores features like water quality, biodiversity, and noise abatement to customize plantings for each habitat.
The program has supporters. At the Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin site, Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network executive director Dave Giordano praised Microsoft's stormwater ponds and restoration work, saying "Not all data center companies are the same." But critics question the company's motives. Public Citizen's Texas director, Adrian Shelley, called the landscaping "basically lipstick on a pig" after Microsoft signed a 20-year deal to buy power from a planned Chevron gas plant in West Texas. Shelley said no level of biomimicry investment makes a gas plant a desirable neighbor.
Local officials also have concerns. San Antonio councilmember Ric Galvan cited tree removal and traffic impacts, and proposed a moratorium that the council declined, opting instead to weigh zoning rules. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has paused data center grid connections and permits pending audits. Microsoft's own emissions rose 25% in fiscal 2025, driven primarily by data center expansion, according to its sustainability report. The company maintains it aims to be carbon negative and water positive by 2030, and says AI at global scale needs "a range of energy solutions in the near term."