- OpenAI, Oracle and Related Digital will build a 1‑GW data center campus in Saline Township, Michigan, under the Stargate initiative.
- Work is slated to begin in early 2026, with Related Digital developing the site and creating 2,500+ union construction jobs.
- The campus fits into a wider 4.5 GW expansion; across seven U.S. sites the group targets 8 GW+ and over $450 billion in investment in ~3 years.
- Context includes OpenAI’s ~$300 billion compute deal with Oracle, restructuring for a possible IPO, and debate about an AI investment bubble.
OpenAI, Oracle and Related Digital are teaming up to deliver a new U.S. AI infrastructure hub: a campus of data centers with more than 1 gigawatt of capacity in Saline Township, Michigan. Positioned under the Stargate banner, the build aims to boost nationwide compute supply as demand for training and serving advanced models accelerates.
While specific dollars for this site weren’t disclosed, industry chatter suggests that a 1 GW-scale deployment can run to tens of billions of dollars, depending on power, land, and supply chain constraints. Executives commonly cite that 1 GW of data center power is comparable to the electricity use of around 750,000 U.S. homes, underscoring the sheer scale at play.
What the Michigan campus entails
According to OpenAI, construction is targeted to start in early 2026. Related Digital will lead development in Saline Township, with plans calling for more than 2,500 union construction jobs as the site ramps up.
Beyond the headline capacity, a deployment of this size typically demands extensive power interconnections, cooling systems, and network backbones. The Michigan location is intended to plug into Stargate’s broader footprint, delivering room for growth as compute-hungry AI workloads continue to scale.
The campus is part of the OpenAI–Oracle 4.5 GW expansion. Together with six other U.S. locations, the program is expected to push the group’s planned capacity beyond 8 GW and aggregate investments above $450 billion over roughly the next three years, according to company statements and industry estimates.
OpenAI has framed this milestone as keeping Stargate ahead of schedule on its longer-term objective of 10 GW of AI infrastructure backed by about $500 billion in spending, though details on financing cadence remain limited.
Financing, partnerships and the market backdrop
Reports indicate OpenAI recently signed a multi-year arrangement with Oracle to secure compute capacity valued at around $300 billion over five years, an agreement that implies the need for approximately 4.5 GW of data center power across sites like Michigan and beyond.
Earlier this week, OpenAI finalized a corporate reshuffle that gives it more latitude to move away from its non-profit roots, clearing the way for potential capital markets moves, including an IPO. Coverage from financial outlets has floated valuations up to $1 trillion, though market conditions could sway any eventual outcome.
The latest wave of AI infrastructure spending has raised eyebrows in some quarters, with analysts cautioning that soaring valuations and capex commitments might overheat the sector. For this specific site, the companies did not publish a price tag; however, many data center leaders peg a 1 GW build at roughly $50 billion, subject to local power pricing, construction inputs, and timelines.
In that light, the Michigan campus functions as both a regional jobs engine and a strategic node in a national buildout aimed at guaranteeing compute supply for next-gen AI systems. As with other mega-scale campuses, execution will hinge on power procurement, grid interconnection milestones, and supply chain availability.
Seen as a practical step within the larger Stargate roadmap, the Saline Township project blends OpenAI’s model ambitions, Oracle’s cloud scale, and a dedicated developer in Related Digital. With an early 2026 start, a >1 GW target and union jobs in the thousands, it slots into an expanding U.S. network that is tracking toward multi-gigawatt capacity and hundreds of billions in cumulative investment.
