Chippewa Falls has a long history of innovation, manufacturing, and technology. The latest expansion announced by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is another important chapter in that story.

Recently, Governor Tony Evers, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), and HPE announced that the company plans to invest $75 million over the next five years to expand its operations in Chippewa Falls. The project is expected to create 75 new high-skill jobs, adding to the nearly 500 Wisconsin employees currently working at the Chippewa Falls operation.

The expansion will increase HPE’s testing, warehousing, and manufacturing capabilities in Chippewa Falls. The investment is intended to help the company respond to growing worldwide demand for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing technologies.

For the Chippewa Economic Development Corporation (CEDC), this announcement represents something equally important: the power of existing businesses continuing to choose Chippewa Falls for their next investment.

Built on Continued Growth

This success did not happen overnight. HPE established its Chippewa Falls location after purchasing the facility from Cray Inc. in 2019. In 2021, Governor Evers and WEDC announced an $8 million Enterprise Zone tax credit agreement to support the company’s continued investment in Wisconsin. Under that agreement, HPE went on to invest more than $25.9 million, create 120 new jobs, and retain 486 positions in Wisconsin.

To support HPE’s next planned $75 million expansion, WEDC has authorized up to an additional $5.1 million in performance-based Enterprise Zone tax credits. In July 2026, the WEDC Board approved an amendment that increased the total credits available under the agreement to $13.1 million and extended the contract by five years.

That progression is important. WEDC and CEDC know that economic development is not always about landing the next company. Most times the greatest opportunities come from helping the companies already in the community to continue to invest, innovate, hire, and grow here.

Chippewa Falls Is Part of a Global Technology Story

What is happening in Chippewa Falls also connects our community directly to one of the most significant technological transformations underway today.

HPE says demand for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing is growing rapidly around the world and that its Chippewa Falls operations play an important role in helping the company meet that demand. This is something our community should be proud of.

Products and technologies supporting a rapidly changing global economy are being manufactured, tested, and supported right here in Chippewa.

It also reinforces something we have long believed at CEDC: communities like ours can compete for sophisticated, high-value investment when we create an environment where businesses and people have the opportunity to succeed.

Growing the Businesses We Already Have

At CEDC, BEAR-business expansion and retention are fundamental parts of economic development. We certainly want to attract new employers and entrepreneurs to Chippewa County. But we also want our existing small businesses, manufacturers, technology companies, and other employers to look at their next opportunity and say:

We can grow here.

HPE’s latest expansion sends an encouraging message: Chippewa remains a place where advanced manufacturing, technology, innovation, and talented people can grow together. This announcement is worth celebrating, CEDC congratulates Hewlett Packard Enterprise on this next investment in Chippewa Falls and recognizes WEDC, Governor Tony Evers, and the many partners helping make continued economic growth possible. We look forward to what comes next. Because when a company already doing business in our community chooses to invest here again, that’s more than an expansion. It’s a vote of confidence in the Chippewa Valley.