Overview
- The Oakland University Board of Trustees voted Friday to move the proposed campus data center and AI institute into a formal due diligence phase.
- Fairmount Properties would build and operate the facility at no upfront cost to the university and the project is described by officials as a roughly 15-acre site using about 2% of the power of a hyperscale center.
- University planners shifted the proposed site from Parking Lot 35 to Parking Lot 37 to increase distance from campus buildings, a nature preserve, and a nearby Native American heritage site.
- Students, faculty, and Native community members have protested the vote and say they were not adequately consulted about potential impacts such as water use, noise, and cultural harm, and the university says it will form a steering committee that includes students and faculty.
- Oakland University expects development agreements to be drafted this summer, formal environmental and infrastructure studies to begin in October, and estimates groundbreaking could be about 18 to 24 months away while studies assess energy, water, and ecological effects.