Bryan Smigielski
Sierra Club of Michigan said Oracle, building a mega data center in Saline Township, is rated BBB minus, just above junk bonds
Oracle and OpenAI Saline Township Data Center
Oracle and OpenAI's data center project in Saline Township has reached 1 million work hours and is reported to be going up quickly, with the developer also purchasing a neighboring golf course. It is reported, as reported August 20, 2026.
How much power it needs, how much water it would use and who would use it have not been disclosed.
How to read this page. Every fact links to the source it rests on; a number in brackets is its place in the source list. A figure no source gives reads Not disclosed, and nothing is estimated. Where sources give different figures, each is shown with who gave it, and another source's figure never stands in for the record's own. Entries are added and never overwritten; corrections are listed under What happened.
What is known
Each figure as its source gave it. The number in brackets is its place in the source list.
- Land
- Not disclosed
- Power it would draw
- Not disclosed
- Water
- Not disclosed
- Who leads it
- Oracle
- as stated by the source
- Who would use it
- Not disclosed
- Jobs once it runs
- Not disclosed
- Tax each year
- Not disclosed
Every field, with who said it and when (Researcher view)
Impact figures
| Field | Value | Who says so | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How much power it needs | Not disclosed | |||
| How much water it would use | Not disclosed | |||
| How loud it would be | Not disclosed | |||
| Jobs once it runs | Not disclosed | |||
| Tax it would pay each year | Not disclosed |
The record's fields
| Field | Value | Who says so | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who is building it | Oracle | as stated by the source | September 17, 2026 | |
| Who is constructing it | Not disclosed | |||
| How much land | Not disclosed | |||
| Where its power comes from | Not disclosed | |||
| Grid connection | Not disclosed | |||
| How it is cooled | Not disclosed |
The developer's figure is what the company said; what a permit allows is the ceiling a permit sets; measured means observed. Water is in gallons a day or a year, whichever the source stated; a tax claim given as a range shows both ends, each linked to the source that gave it.
Still not public, and where it would show up
The record adds each the day a source gives it. Why these documents.
- Water useA state water right filing or a water supply agreement.
- Who would use itA lease announcement or a tenant named in a filing.
- Power the campus would drawA utility or public service commission docket, an interconnection filing, or an air permit for an on site plant.
- Jobs and taxAn incentive agreement, a county's economic development filing or a fiscal note.
What was decided
Acts of Washtenaw County and the cities in it about data centers, on the record with their source. A rule about the area is not a decision about this record.
| Date | Who | Decision | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ypsilanti | Ypsilanti City Council reviewed proposed data center regulations on Sept. 15 covering noise, water, energy use and oversight; small data center limited to 20,000 square feet, 5 megawatts power, 20,000 gallons cooling water per day; open loop cooling prohibited. | thesuntimesnews.com | |
| Ypsilanti | Ypsilanti City Council preliminarily passed a 60 day emergency data center moratorium, pending final vote. | inthesetimes.com |
What happened
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Saline Township initially voted against rezoning farmland for The Barn; developers sued and township settled. [5]
-
(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
The Barn is set to be completed in 2027. [5]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
The Barn, OpenAI and Oracle's $7 billion hyperscale data center, will be built in Saline Township. [5]
-
(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Related Digital is building a $16 billion data center known as The Barn for Oracle and OpenAI in Saline Township [4]
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· Status: rumored (source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Related Digital purchased Rustic Glen Golf Club, an 18 hole public course in Saline Township [4]
The full Oracle and OpenAI Saline Township Data Center timeline, in order
17 corrections to this record
Every correction, with its reason
-
· the summary of a record items row
the record's rules: the sentence copied its source, was about its headline or carried a number the card's facts do not; written again from the card's facts, on the editor's word The old and new text.
-
· the status of a projects row
The stage was set by timeline entries that were returned to draft on 2026-09-17 (they had been published onto the record while it was still a draft skeleton). With no published entry behind it the record reads rumored until one is approved. The old and new text.
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· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
Every correction on the record is on the corrections page.
What was said
Joi Harris, DTE Energy president and CEO, said the plan would be $3.5 billion less expensive than the company's previous IRP from 2022
Gretchen Whitmer has championed the data center and likened Michigan's AI investments to propping up a new version of Michigan's auto industry
Every statement about data centers in Michigan, by speaker
13 more statements on this page
Bryan Smigielski, Sierra Club of Michigan, said the planned power plants will likely serve electricity requirements of data centers and called for transparent modeling of future energy needs with and without data centers
Bryan Smigielski
Sierra Club of Michigan asked Michigan Public Service Commission to require DTE to model future energy needs with no data centers and compare to future energy needs including data centers
Natalie Ravitz, Related Companies spokesperson
Related Companies says Friedrichs received zero commission from the Related Digital data center project and is no longer working on Michigan projects as of March 2026.
Michigan gubernatorial candidate
Jocelyn Benson's husband, Ryan Friedrichs, earned $370,000 in 2025 as an employee of Related Companies, which is developing the Saline Township data center.
Michigan Congressman and Republican
John James, a congressman and Republican, supports a moratorium on the construction of new data centers in Michigan
Michigan Secretary of State and Democratic nominee for governor
Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee for governor and the most likely politician to replace her next year, now supports a moratorium on the construction of new data centers in Michigan
Oakland University engineering professor
Chris Kobus noted that Michigan has perfect conditions for data centers including power infrastructure, cooling infrastructure with water availability, and internet backbone
Oakland University engineering professor
Chris Kobus, engineering professor at Oakland University, said there has been an explosion of activism against data centers in Michigan this calendar year
Saline Township resident
Timothy from Saline Township stated strong opposition to AI in all its forms and called data centers a waste of resources
York Township resident
Mike MacDonald from York Township expressed concern about the massive use of rural land and unknown water and electricity draw from data centers
Bridge Michigan reporting
Only one official, Elaine Ferris, will face a vote in November to remove her from office over data center votes.
Related Digital committed to keeping Rustic Glen Golf Club open to public play
The site
Where in Washtenaw County is not in the public record. The pin marks the county seat, not a building, and the outline is the county.
Tap a pin for the data center, the parcel for its record
- This record: Proposed, ringed
- data center
- Dashed edge: the exact site is not in the public record
- Smaller pins: 10 other published records in Michigan
Details
- this record's location, ringed
- parcel outline, from the county parcel record
- city limits, U.S. Census Bureau, on a town level record
- county boundary
The other pins are the published projects in the same state, each in its stage color. The imagery beneath is the USGS national orthoimagery, public domain, shown so the land around the site can be read.
- Where
- Washtenaw County, Michigan
- How exactly it is located
- County level, the county seat
- The parcel
- No parcel outline in the public record
- Nearest homes
- Not computed for a record placed at a place center
- Nearest records
- Nearest records are not computed for a record placed at a county seat.
Questions about this project
4 questions answered from the record
Who is building Oracle and OpenAI Saline Township Data Center?
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Oracle is the developer. No construction contractor is named on the record yet.
How much power and water does Oracle and OpenAI Saline Township Data Center say it needs?
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Power: not disclosed by any source on file. Water: not disclosed by any source on file.
Where does Oracle and OpenAI Saline Township Data Center stand today?
-
It is reported, as reported August 20, 2026. The newest entry, reported August 21, 2026: Saline Township initially voted against rezoning farmland for The Barn; developers sued and township settled. [5]
What has Washtenaw County decided about it?
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Ypsilanti: Ypsilanti City Council reviewed proposed data center regulations on Sept. 15 covering noise, water, energy use and oversight; small data center limited to 20,000 square feet, 5 megawatts power, 20,000 gallons cooling water per day; open loop cooling prohibited. (September 15, 2026, source); and Ypsilanti: Ypsilanti City Council preliminarily passed a 60 day emergency data center moratorium, pending final vote. (reported September 14, 2026, source). 2 events are on the county's rows; a rule about the area is not a decision about this record.
Sources
Reporting
- OpenAI data center project south of Ann Arbor hits 1 million work hours - MLive.com, MLive.com, August 31, 2026, local outlet
- Oracle and OpenAI's Saline Township data center going up quickly - The Detroit News, The Detroit News, August 31, 2026, local outlet
- This golf course’s new owners are building $16 billion data center next door - GOLF.com, GOLF.com, August 23, 2026, local outlet
- Developer of controversial Saline Township data center buys neighboring golf course - CBS News, CBS News, August 20, 2026, local outlet
- Residents and officials feeling powerless in Michigan data center fights - bridgemi.com, bridgemi.com, August 21, 2026, local outlet
- Record $16B Data Center Project Advances in Michigan - enr.com, enr.com, June 2, 2026, local outlet
- Oracle and OpenAI's Saline Township data center going up quickly - The Detroit News, The Detroit News, August 31, 2026, local outlet
- ‘We don’t even know who signed the contracts’: AG Nessel challenges Michigan’s secret data center deal - thelivingstonpost.com, thelivingstonpost.com, August 15, 2026, local outlet
- This golf course’s new owners are building $16 billion data center next door - GOLF.com, GOLF.com, August 23, 2026, local outlet
9 sources on file.
Cite this record
Data Center Record, "Oracle and OpenAI Saline Township Data Center", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/oracle-and-openai-saline-township-data-center-washtenaw-mi, last verified September 17, 2026.
Cite this page
Data Center Record, "Oracle and OpenAI Saline Township Data Center", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/oracle-and-openai-saline-township-data-center-washtenaw-mi. Data: Data Center Record, datacenterrecord.org, CC BY 4.0.
The structured rows are CC BY 4.0. Link to this page; that is what turns a reuse into a citation. Prose stays under copyright.
For researchers
- Slug
- oracle-and-openai-saline-township-data-center-washtenaw-mi
- Status value
- rumored
- Stage
- Proposed
- Tier
- skeleton
- Tags
- skeleton
- Place id
- us/mi/washtenaw-county
- Coordinates
- 42.28139, -83.74833
- Location precision
- county
- Location source
- County seat (Ann Arbor), Wikidata, placed at county level
- Coordinate source
- wikidata county seat
- Location source number
- Not disclosed
- Location last verified
- September 16, 2026
- EPA registry id
- Not disclosed
- Use type values
- not_disclosed
- Tenancy value
- not_disclosed
- Cooling type value
- not_disclosed
- Capacity basis
- not_disclosed
- Water basis
- not_disclosed, gallons_per_day
- Acreage basis
- Not disclosed
- Interconnection value
- not_disclosed
- Capacity, if disclosed
- Not disclosed
- Rating of the county's rows
- Not disclosed
- Published
- 2026-09-05
- Last verified
- 2026-09-17