Michigan for Responsible Data Centers hosted a public discussion inside Saginaw Valley State University’s Gilbertson Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The discussion lasted almost two hours and featured a panel of speakers from multiple organizations, all with the ultimate goal of providing citizens a better understanding of hyperscale data centers and the impacts they could have on the community. Speakers presented their research and participated in heated Q&A discussions with attendees.
“The question is: Why have this discussion now?” Tom Miller, the president and CEO of Saginaw Future, Inc. and main speaker for the event proposed. “Companies and consultants are looking across Michigan and across the country for communities that could potentially accommodate these investments.”
Although there are no current hyperscale data center projects in development inside Saginaw, “It is much better for us to have these conversations before a project comes to our doorstep, than after,” Tom Miller states. “Saginaw Future’s role is not to decide for a community whether a data center … is right for a community. Our job is to make sure our communities have the facts …”
Hyperscale data centers, the type of data center most commonly discussed in relation to Artificial Intelligence, are data centers that use over 500 Megawatts (MW) of power. Michigan currently houses about 53 data centers, none on the hyperscale level.
“Most [data centers] are small, only in the 1-5 MW range,” Jeff Guilfoyle, the Senior Strategist at Public Sector Consultants states.
“We only have one over 100 MW. … The number [of hyperscale data centers] under consideration in Michigan right now are between eight and ten.”
Although many attendees were those from the public, quite a few SVSU students were also in attendance.
“I think the main point from this is that hyperscale data centers are going to happen,” said Harper S., a Freshman at SVSU. “We need to be as prepared as possible to regulate and decide if this is what our community wants and needs.”
“This meeting had so much information and new statistics,” expressed Kate Kiser, a first-year Pre-Nursing major at SVSU. “… but for a discussion open to the public, it was more for people within the local government.”
Other presenters at this event included Eric Dennis, a research associate at Citizens Research Council of Michigan, and Madeleine Krol, a clean energy land use specialist at the University of Michigan for EmPowering Communities. Lindsey McGuirk, the director of external engagement at Consumers Energy, joined in on discussions during the Q&A.
“Go to the meetings,” urges Harper S.. “Learn all that you can about [upcoming projects] and how they can be regulated … and make sure that your county knows it too.”
Michigan for Responsible Data Centers is a nonpartisan coalition committed to ensuring Michigan communities have access to clear, accurate information about data centers and their local impacts. For more information, visit their website: https://mifordatacenters.org
