Sam Altman: Saline data center site could be where 'cancer is cured' one day
Saline data center celebration held by official, OpenAI
The site is under construction by Related Digital and supporters say it's already creating jobs and boosting Michigan's economy. But not everyone is celebrating.
SALINE TWP., Mich. (FOX 2) - A multi-billion-dollar hyper-scale data center under construction in Saline Township is being touted as the largest investment in Michigan to date.
The backstory:
On Monday a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the data center's site which brought key players in the world of AI, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Supporters of this project – say this is what the future looks like because it advances American innovation.
A ceremony took place this afternoon to celebrate "The Barn." It is a $16 billion gigawatt-scale data center campus.
The site is under construction by Related Digital and supporters say it's already creating jobs and boosting Michigan's economy.
"You've heard that this is the largest private investment in Michigan's history — $16 billion," said Jeff Blau, Related Companies CEO & Related Digital Chair. "But when you include the chips and servers that go inside the buildings behind us, this becomes one of the largest infrastructure investments happening anywhere in the United States today.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer was at the event and spoke about the standards which were met by the project.
"I will only open up Michigan to companies that respect our strict environmental standards and protect our air, land, and water," Whitmer said. "'The Barn' meets all those high standards."
Also on hand was Altman the public face of the current AI movement, as his OpenAI created ChatGPT.
"This could very well turn into the site where cancer gets cured," Altman said. "This could be the site where hundreds of millions of students around the world learn and get private tutoring. This could turn into the site where millions of small businesses can run their business with AI in the cloud. A gigawatt of AI can do all those things."
The other side:
But not everyone is celebrating. FOX 2 spoke to a woman who lives right next to the data center construction site, and here's what she had to say.
"I'm not happy about it," said Trina Atwell. "The noise level out here is horrendous. The lights at night are very annoying. We have never been included in anything or notified about any celebration."
The community has been left divided as a result of the data center site.
In fact, the Saline Township treasurer recently resigned because of threats directed at her over the construction of the data center.
The data center project has included donations being made to the community and creation of jobs, but there has also been pushback from some residents - which will likely continue.
The Source: Information for this report is from today's press conference and an interview with a Saline Township resident.