A massive new data center project tied to expanding the artificial intelligence industry has been announced near Ann Arbor.
The project announced Thursday would encompass a 250-acre site in Saline Township.
It’s part of a multi-billion dollar project called Stargate, spearheaded by digital industry giants OpenAI and Oracle.
“The infrastructure and manufacturing needed to advance AI give us a real chance to reindustrialize the country, and it should happen in places like Michigan," OpenAI said in a statement. "AI will unlock major benefits—from better healthcare to improved public services—and the buildout required to get there will generate significant opportunities along the way.”
The Stargate Michigan campus is being developed by the company Related Digital, with construction expected to begin in early 2026 — though it still needs approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office called the project "the largest one-time investment in state history" and said it's expected to create more than 2,500 union construction jobs and 450 more permanent jobs on site.
“I’m grateful to these cutting-edge companies for betting on Michigan, building on our work to compete for and win big projects in next-generation industries from cars and clean energy to semiconductors and batteries,” said Whitmer in a written statement.
The Michigan Public Service Commission, which regulates the state's utilities, will have to sign off on the plan.
The project is expected to be a heavy draw on the power grid.
A DTE Energy spokesperson says the utility will file its plan to provide electricity to project with the MPSC Friday.
“DTE is excited about the execution of our first data center contract with a hyperscale customer for 1.4 gigawatts of load that will ramp up over the next two to three years,” said DTE spokeswoman Jill Wilmot.
Wilmot says 1.4 gigawatts represents about 25% of the utility’s current capacity.
She said the data center project is not expected to increase DTE customer rates.
DTE Energy is among Michigan Public's corporate sponsors.
