- U-M is planning its $1.2 billion national computing lab partnership southeast of Ann Arbor
- Ypsilanti Township officials will vote Tuesday on a motion to oppose the project
- Proponents say the national lab is a win for Michigan, but the township worries about lost taxes and control what’s built
A Washtenaw County community is pushing back on a $1.2 billion national research center initiated by the University of Michigan and supported by a $100 million Michigan taxpayer-funded subsidy.
Ypsilanti Township officials plan to vote Tuesday on a resolution opposing construction of the artificial-intelligence-focused supercomputing facility in the community. The township also is expected to hire a lawyer to negotiate a potential move to a different site.
State and federal officials have trumpeted the center, which is a partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory that U-M says will “support important research in science, energy and national security” and create 200 high-paying jobs.
But Ypsilanti Township officials say they haven’t been adequately consulted. The project’s footprint has grown fivefold to 100 acres since it was announced in December.
U-M is “not to be trusted” and does “not do what is best for (the) community, the people or the environment,” Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo wrote in a June 26 email to township, state and federal officials obtained by Bridge Michigan through the Freedom of Information Act.
“They do what is best for them and their money grabbing purchase of land should scare the hell out of all elected officials in the State,” Stumbo continued, noting that the university neither will pay taxes on the property nor need to seek local approvals for building and zoning.
She did not respond Monday to a request for comment.
The proposal comes amid a national backlash against the data centers and similar projects, which are needed to power AI and data storage but consume enormous amounts of energy and water.
While parts of the project are classified, U-M and federal officials say it would be good for the state when it opens by 2030. Wages could average $200,000 per year and bring in other science-related facilities to the area.
“The focus is entirely on advancing knowledge and serving the public good,” Chris Kolb, U-M’s vice president for government relations, told Bridge.
The project will aid in “expanding scientific infrastructure, creating educational and workforce opportunities and strengthening the state’s role in national innovation,” Kolb said, adding it will help research “some of the world’s toughest challenges” including clean energy, public health and national security.
US Rep. Debbie Dingell told Bridge she supports the venture — which would join a network of 17 “very important” Department of Energy labs — but residents need to hear more.
“They (U-M) need to be meeting with the community, and they have not done that,” said Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, adding that the university hasn’t been “transparent.”
Kolb countered that U-M has engaged Ypsilanti Township leaders and will address community concerns.
“This is not a commercial data center, where companies store internet or consumer data, but a public research facility operated by two public institutions,” he said.
Among other things, U-M has discussed with local officials their hopes to relocate the project to the American Center for Mobility (ACM) property, which is located on the former Willow Run bomber plant property later used as a General Motors factory.
“As we explained to them, we are still at the early stages of our evaluation of this site,” Kolb said of the 120 acres it has planned for the computing center.
However, at the township’s request, Kolb said, “U-M has re-engaged with ACM to evaluate the viability of their site for this facility. We will be keeping the township informed.”
Unlike commercial data centers that create few jobs and drain the environment, state Sen. Jeff Irwin said the supercomputer project would be a boon to the local economy.
“Data centers don’t have ancillaries and spin offs,” said Irwin, D-Ann Arbor. “Data centers aren’t drawing private sector employers who want to glean innovation from the research that they’re doing at the data center.
“Data centers are just warehousing and moving bits and bytes on behalf of Meta or Amazon Web Services or Google.”
Irwin points to U-M’s online fact sheet that addresses several concerns.
The facility will not draw from or discharge into the Huron River, U-M says. It adds that all cooling water will be purchased from local municipal utilities and sanitary discharge will also be handled through the municipal system.
The buildings are “designed to operate cleanly and quietly, with all-electric infrastructure and minimal emissions,” U-M said.
Irwin, like Dingell, said U-M needs to communicate details on its project so that the public can see the difference from a data center and weigh the proposal on specifics.
Kolb said that at least one meeting is planned.
“With a project of this size, being a good neighbor matters,” he said. “U-M is committed to ongoing dialogue with township officials and the broader community. We will continue to share information, answer questions, and provide opportunities for input throughout planning and construction.”
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