Microsoft’s Data Center Pause Caught Ohio Officials by Surprise

Microsoft Corp.’s decision to pause work on data centers in Ohio surprised local officials because the company had agreed to develop the sites as recently as two months before — suggesting a sudden pivot.

In January, the city of Heath, Ohio, inked agreements to improve infrastructure such as roads and water lines for Microsoft’s planned data center in the city, according to documents seen by Bloomberg. Late last month, the software company informed officials it would be halting the projects in Heath and two nearby cities, according to people familiar with the situation.

The shift “caught me by surprise,” ...