Michigan Data Center Intel

Recent Michigan data center news

• Jan 14, 2026

  Emerging Data Center Markets: Key Locations to Watch in 2026

  Cushman & Wakefield reports that power and land constraints in major U.S. data center hubs are driving operators to consider secondary and tertiary markets.

  • Main announcement: Cushman & Wakefield finds power and land constraints in primary hubs (Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Atlanta, Portland/Eastern Oregon) are shifting site selection toward secondary/tertiary markets; highlights include OpenAI’s Stargate (~$100 billion) and Vantage Frontier (~$25+ billion) as large upcoming projects.
  • Details/background: Regions such as Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, Central Washington, New Jersey, and Massachusetts are offering economic incentives, faster approvals, and flexible regulatory frameworks; Central Washington offers low-cost hydro power enabling 100% renewable operation but is also facing power constraints.
• Jan 14, 2026

  Will new EPA rule fast-track fossil fuel projects, data centers?

  The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule to limit states’ and tribes’ authority under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.

  • Main action: The EPA proposed narrowing Section 401 reviews to focus on direct releases to federally regulated waters, with measures including a clear description of applicant submissions, strict deadlines for state/tribal reviews, and a requirement that states fully explain any conditions or permit rejections; a final rule is expected in the spring after a public comment period.
  • Background and details: The proposal echoes the Trump administration’s earlier 401 rule, comes after the Biden administration’s 2023 expansion allowing states/tribes to “holistically evaluate” project impacts, follows the Supreme Court’s 2023 Sackett v. EPA decision that limited federal jurisdiction, and drew criticism from Earthjustice (Moneen Nasmith: “EPA’s claims that states and tribes are overreaching are baseless”).
• Jan 13, 2026

  Six Stony Brook University Faculty Mentor Regeneron STS Scholars

  Stony Brook University announced that ten high school students mentored by six Stony Brook faculty were named among the top 300 semifinalists in the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS).

  • Main announcement: Ten Simons Summer Research Program fellows, mentored by six Stony Brook faculty, were named among the top 300 Regeneron STS semifinalists; each semifinalist and their high school will receive $2,000. The article lists faculty mentors (Benjamin Hsiao, Mohammad Javad Amiri, Yuefan Deng, Zhenhua Liu, Howard Sirotkin, Nengkun Yu) and student projects such as stormwater remediation of 6PPD, AI-enabled drug discovery for oncogenic eIF4E, and Carbon-Aware Reserve Allocation and Checkpoint Scheduling for GPU Sustainability.
  • Background and details: The semifinalists were selected from >2,600 applicants representing 46 states, Washington, D.C., Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and 16 countries; 40 finalists will be announced on January 21 to compete for over $3.1 million in awards during a week-long event in Washington, D.C., March 5–11. The piece references the Society for Science administration of Regeneron STS and notes that since 1997 about 600 semifinalists have been mentored by Stony Brook faculty.
• Jan 13, 2026

  US carbon pollution rose in 2025. Experts blame cold winter, high natural gas prices, data centers

  The Rhodium Group reported U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose 2.4% in 2025.

  • Main finding and figures: The Rhodium Group estimated U.S. emissions rose 2.4% in 2025 to 5.9 billion tons (5.35 billion metric tons) CO2e, an increase of 139 million tons (126 million metric tons) from 2024; the report attributes the rise to a cold winter, explosive growth of data centers and cryptocurrency mining, and higher natural gas prices leading to a 13% increase in coal power.
  • Background and additional details:Solar generation jumped 34%, zero-carbon sources supplied 42% of U.S. power, the study’s authors (including Ben King) said Trump administration rollbacks had not yet influenced 2025 levels, and researchers now project the 2035 emissions decline to be about one-third smaller than previous projections; statements and reactions were provided by the University of Michigan (Jonathan Overpeck), activist Bill McKibben, and the EPA.
• Jan 13, 2026

  US carbon pollution rose in 2025. Experts blame cold winter, high natural gas prices, data centers

  Rhodium Group calculated that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2025 compared with 2024.

  • Main finding: The Rhodium Group estimated the U.S. emitted 5.9 billion tons (5.35 billion metric tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, an increase of 139 million tons (126 million metric tons) from 2024; the report cites a cool winter, explosive growth of data centers and cryptocurrency mining, and higher natural gas prices as primary drivers, with coal generation up 13% contributing substantially to the power-sector increase.
  • Additional details and context:Solar generation jumped 34%, pushing solar past hydro and bringing zero-carbon sources to 42% of U.S. power; the Rhodium authors say Trump administration policy rollbacks had not been in place long enough to affect 2025 data, and the report’s earlier 2035 projections have been revised down (projected pollution drop now about one-third less than prior estimates).
• Jan 13, 2026

  Lyon Township ‘may be revisiting’ data center site plan: Residents pack meeting

  The Lyon Township Planning Commission is hosting an informational meeting and reviewing the conditional site plan for Project Flex, with final approval contingent on independent review of the sound study and an energy audit; the township is accepting questions through Feb. 8.

  • Main action:Project Flex is a proposed 1.8-million-square-foot data center comprising six buildings on 172 acres; the Planning Commission granted conditional site plan approval on Sept. 8 and may revisit that approval pending an independent sound study review and an energy audit. Meetings: Q&A with experts 7 p.m. Jan. 15 (South Lyon East High School Auditorium, 52200 10 Mile Road) and an informational meeting 7 p.m. Jan. 22 (same location); questions accepted until 11:59 p.m. Feb. 8 via the township portal, in person at township hall (58000 Grand River Ave., New Hudson, MI 48165), or drop box.

  • Background/details: Plans were submitted by Verrus (operated by holding company Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, with investors Alphabet, StepStone, and the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan); the development would require a new DTE Energy substation and be served by battery energy storage for outages under four hours and packaged diesel generators in acoustic enclosures for longer outages. A Kimley-Horn sound study estimated operational noise at 44 dB(A) (study did not include diesel generator noise); trade reporting notes diesel generators can reach ~110 dB(A).

• Jan 12, 2026

  DTE’s fast-tracked data center contracts need second look, Nessel says

  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and a coalition of environmental and consumer groups have filed petitions asking the Michigan Public Service Commission to rehear its Dec. 18 approval of DTE Energy contracts to supply 1.4 GW to a Saline Township data center.

  • Main action: Petition for rehearing filed by Dana Nessel and a coalition (Michigan Environmental Council, NRDC, Sierra Club, Citizens Utility Board of Michigan) challenging the Commission’s ex parte approval of DTE Energy’s data center contracts that would supply 1.4 gigawatts to a Saline Township facility; petition contests the Commission’s authority to approve without a contested hearing and criticizes heavy redactions in public contract copies. The Commission set a 30-day deadline for DTE to accept the order’s terms.
  • Background and conditions: The Commission approved contracts with conditions requiring DTE to update tariff structures for large energy-load customers and file an amended renewable energy plan comparing resource needs with and without the data center load to meet the state’s 100% clean energy by 2040 requirement; Commission staff reviewed unredacted contracts and the Commission spokesperson emphasized the order requires what he called the strongest consumer protections for a data center power contract in the country. Parties named as involved in the project include Oracle, OpenAI, and Related Digital/Related Companies.
• Jan 12, 2026

  Data center news: Northville, Springfield Township pass data center moratoriums

  Multiple Michigan municipalities, Oakland University, Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton announced actions related to data center development, local moratoria, and changes to utility and permitting rules.

  • Main announcement / actions:

    • Oakland University is partnering with Ohio-based Fairmount Properties to develop a 26-megawatt “edge” data center on Parking Lot 35 adjacent to a DTE substation; a feasibility study (environmental, utilities, market) will precede a business plan to OU’s board in spring or summer 2026.
    • Microsoft disclosed it is pursuing a potential $1 billion data center on 240 acres in Lowell Township (Covenant Business Park) and requested a pause in rezoning to engage the community; Microsoft now has nearly 900 acres in the Grand Rapids area across multiple proposed sites.

  • Regulatory, local-government, and federal actions / background:

    • Several Michigan localities enacted or proposed moratoria to study data center zoning and impacts: Northville (12-month moratorium), Springfield Township (180 days), Saline (proposed 12-month vote), Saginaw (proposed six-month), Bay City (prepare local regulations); Allen Park postponed a decision on a proposed 26-MW center.
    • U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton introduced the DATA Act of 2026 to exempt fully off-grid power suppliers by creating “consumer-regulated electric utilities”; the Department of Defense solicited bids for private AI data centers on unused military land (Jan. 22 proposal deadline; Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, Fort Bliss, Dugway Proving Ground listed with acreages and varying water risk).
• Jan 11, 2026

  Environmental experts say Texas data centers come with uncertainty

  FOX 7 Austin reports experts warning that Texas’ approximately 400 planned or operating data centers could strain the state’s power grid and water supplies.

  • Main announcement/action: FOX 7 Austin interviewed experts who say roughly 400 data centers (operational, under construction, or planned) are driving a surge in large-load interconnection requests — ERCOT received more than 200 gigawatts of requests over the past year, ~73% of which are from data centers; the article also notes Senate Bill 6 now requires data centers to provide more upfront capital for transmission studies and interconnection to reduce speculative loads. Includeable funding/commitments mentioned: federal > $60 million to strengthen Texas’ grid (image caption) and Google’s $40 billion plan for new AI data centers in Texas.
  • Background/details: Experts highlight infrastructure and environmental concerns including speculative projects potentially driving up consumer rates if built infrastructure is unused, proposals for ~130 new gas-fired power plants tied to data center demand (estimated emissions equivalent to 27 million cars), and acute water risk — researchers say a single data center can consume millions of gallons of water annually, while the Texas Water Development Board reports supply constraints.
• Jan 10, 2026

  Cisco routers knocked out due to Cloudflare DNS change

  Cloudflare reverted a software update that changed DNS record ordering after many Cisco routers and switches entered reboot loops.

  • Main action:Cloudflare rolled out a small software change that altered DNS record ordering (CNAME vs non-CNAME sequence), then reverted the release to restore standard ordering after connectivity problems surfaced; the change exposed devices (notably Cisco embedded DNS resolvers) that entered fatal reboot loops and caused enterprises to implement temporary workarounds.
  • Background/details: Analysts from Moor Insights & Strategy, Fusion Collective, and Greyhound Research said the change was standards-compliant but collided with fragile client assumptions; recommended mitigations include routing device DNS through internal resolvers, implementing multi-provider DNS redundancy, and treating DNS behavior as an infrastructure reliability concern (Cisco had provided no public advisory or patch as of January 9).