Spring construction progress at $16B OpenAI data center in Saline Township

Work continues at one of the largest construction projects in Michigan history - a 250-acre data center campus in rural Saline Township that recently secured $16 billion in funding and is slated for completion in 2027. Construction on the site, located along West Michigan Avenue outside Saline city limits and about 10 miles southwest of Ann Arbor, began last fall. By February, crews could be seen moving tons of earth for the footprint of the campus, which will eventually house about 2.2 million square feet of data centers and support buildings and require an estimated 1.6 gigawatts of electricity. On Thursday, the first buildings on the campus were beginning to take shape, with a steady stream of earth-moving trailers and cement trucks pouring in and out of the site. Texas-based Related Digital is developing the campus for cloud computing giant Oracle and its customer OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. The project, recently branded as “The Barn,” has proven controversial with both the Saline Township board and township residents, resulting in lawsuits, a recall effort and public backlash that prompted the recent resignation of the Saline Township treasurer. Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com