DES MOINES (AP) - Iowa Gov. Chet Culver will travel to Redmond, Wash., next week to try to shake loose money for a Microsoft data center planned near Iowa's capital city.

Microsoft announced in August that the $500 million data center was to be built in West Des Moines, Iowa. But a significant economic downturn followed, and in January, Microsoft cut 5,000 jobs and postponed the project.

Culver said in the meeting on Monday, he will urge Microsoft to move forward with its plans. Culver says Microsoft can be part of an effort to bring high-quality jobs to the state.

"I know that Microsoft recognizes what we in Iowa have known all along: our state is a great place for business because of our workforce and quality of life," Culver said in a news release.

The Microsoft project would add to Iowa's growing list of technology companies in the state. In January, IBM committed to a $100 million service center in Dubuque, and last year Google began work on a $600 million data center in Council Bluffs, with another $300 million data center in the works.

The Microsoft project calls for the creation of 75 high-paying technology jobs with an average salary of about $70,000.

West Des Moines City Manager Jeff Pomerantz got the news of the postponement from Microsoft in January. He said at the time that the company hadn't given the city a timeline of when the project will resume.

Initial preparation for the project already had begun.

The Iowa Department of Transportation Commission approved a state grant of $3.4 million in December to cover half the cost of road improvements to provide access to the site. The city will provide local matching funds.

A data center contains computers and related equipment to provide services to businesses and individual customers. It would handle millions of Microsoft online functions each month, such as Hotmail and Messenger instant messaging services.