Ypsilanti’s elected officials are concerned about the $1.25 billion data center the University of Michigan plans to construct in their township and do not believe the University is listening to their concerns about the facility’s location and potential impact on the local community. On the contrary, they feel they have been misled and left out of pivotal negotiations.
The University intends to build the data center in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory, with construction projected to begin in 2028. The larger part of the center, measuring at least 220,000 square feet, will be dedicated to LANL for national security research. 50,000 square feet of the center will host a non-classified facility for academic research by the University.
Unease surrounding the proposal centers on its energy usage and environmental impact. The data center is projected to consume 110 megawatts of energy — roughly equal to the township’s entire current energy consumption — and to use roughly 200,000 gallons of water per day. Many Ypsilanti township residents have also raised concerns about the University’s partnership with LANL, due to the laboratory’s involvement in nuclear weapons research…