Oracle, Related Digital, Blackstone, OpenAI, Walbridge and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, celebrated construction of The Barn, the multi-billion-dollar Stargate data center campus under construction in Saline Township, which is the single largest economic investment in Michigan’s history.
The financing for the project includes equity from Related Digital, funds affiliated with Blackstone, and fixed-rate, long term debt financing anchored by PIMCO-managed funds and accounts.
The project team was joined by leaders from North America’s Building Trades Unions and Michigan labor representatives to thank the more than 700 Michigan tradesmen and women currently building the campus. During construction the project will create more than 2,500 union jobs.
As part of the project team’s commitment to ensuring that the campus benefits and strengthens the surrounding community, Related Digital, Blackstone, OpenAI, Oracle and Walbridge announced a new $10 million commitment to fund the expansion and modernization of the Saline Recreation Center, which serves families across Washtenaw County. Funding will support renovation of the Aquatic Center, including an expanded pool, with a zero-depth entry leisure area and lazy river, as well as improvements to the childcare area. These enhancements will significantly improve the visitor experience and enable the Center to expand the population it serves.
This latest community investment builds on previously announced far-reaching State and local economic benefits including $14 million in direct investments to local fire services and farmland preservation funds and thousands of good-paying union construction jobs.
The Barn’s positive economic impact to Saline Township, Washtenaw County, and the State of Michigan, also includes:
2,500+ union construction jobs, 450+ permanent jobs onsite, and 1,500+ jobs county-wide to support the project More than $5 billion invested in site construction will directly benefit Michigan contractors and suppliers $14 million in direct investment in local fire services and new community and farmland preservation funds
The Saline Township campus is the first data center in the country to be built under a first-in-the-nation project labor agreement executed under the National Maintenance Agreement, covering all 14 signatory affiliated skilled trade unions. It is also the first data center built under the memorandum of understanding between OpenAI and North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU). The agreement was developed collaboratively with Walbridge, whose century-long relationships with Michigan’s building trades made the partnership possible. The campus’ more than 700 union tradespeople have already logged over 300,000 union trade hours on the 250-acre site.
