Governor Gretchen Whitmer sees a sustainable way forward for AI data centers in Michigan.
The data center debate is playing out in communities across Michigan, and Whitmer was asked about it this week at the auto show in Detroit.
When it comes to Michiganders’ concerns about the data centers, like power and water use, pollution, and how they change the landscape of communities, Whitmer says she gets them.
“I think people have very genuine questions that they want answered, and I absolutely feel the same way,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer says the path forward for data centers in Michigan is doing them sustainably because she says the state’s infrastructure and economy needs them.
“It doesn’t mean I endorse every data center that is being proposed, but if it can be done smart with Michigan jobs in a way that’s sustainable and protects consumers, we should be doing it right here in Michigan.”
Whitmer points to the data center project in Saline Township as a way this can be done sustainably. That facility would use a close-loop cooling system to conserve water and would not require any additional power generation.
