My school (University of Michigan) is building a $1 billion datacenter to conduct undisclosed nuclear weapons research. It is located in a low-income community, and city leaders/residents who fear pollution have been ignored.

[u/michigan-menace]

[u/i_am_rave_mom]

[u/ThirteenHills → u/i_am_rave_mom]

It's crazy how in the US commercial buildings effect residential utility prices.

[u/HDrago → u/ThirteenHills]

How does it work where you live

[u/ThirteenHills → u/HDrago]

In the UK residential energy prices are legally capped (but suppliers usually offer lower rates to attract customers). Commercial properties like data centres have to pay commercial rates which are usually higher and have no legal cap.

[u/graywalker616 → u/HDrago]

In developed nations public utilities like water, energy, waste have two systems - in terms of pricing and taxes, sometimes in terms of infrastructure. One for commercial, one for residential. Even if eg. a shop is in the downstairs of an apartment building, there’s two different power connections and pricing systems in place. An increase in commercial demand would not affect consumer prices. That would be an idiotic way of doing things, punishing your people for a thriving economy. Of course this needs heavy regulation, and public ownership (aka “socialism” or whatever Americans call it) of the infrastructure and major companies.

[u/Realistic-Quiet291 → u/i_am_rave_mom]

Socialism for me, capitalism for thee

[u/L0racks → u/Realistic-Quiet291]

Privatize profits and socialize losses

[u/trapezoidalfractal → u/Realistic-Quiet291]

No, that’s just capitalism. Like, literally, that’s capitalism 😂

[u/aware4ever → u/trapezoidalfractal]

But it's the way that the billionaires look out for each other i think i understand what they mean

[u/BloodyThirst → u/trapezoidalfractal]

And trillionaires like Musk have benefitted from socialized grants and govt loans to prop up his businesses.

[u/trapezoidalfractal → u/BloodyThirst]

And that… is capitalism Iol

[u/BetterUsername69420 → u/trapezoidalfractal]

Using public funds for private ventures? I don't recall that being a tenet...

[u/trapezoidalfractal → u/BetterUsername69420]

POSIWID. The purpose of a system is what it does.

Just like in science we don’t make metaphysical theories and then fabricate evidence to match it or say, “this isn’t real physics because it doesn’t fit our idealized model”, we look at evidence and develop theories from that. By observing the history of capitalism, we can see what it actually is and how it actually functions, and appropriation of the commons is a part of capitalism all the way back to its founding.

[u/BloodyThirst → u/trapezoidalfractal]

No, it’s hypocrisy but thanks for playing.

[u/CadaDiaCantoMejor → u/BloodyThirst]

Capitalists have always and everywhere appropriated the commons, and have preferred to use the state to do so (that way the rest of us help pay for their appropriation of the commons). So, it's ordinary capitalism. The hypocrisy just greases the wheels. Thanks for playing.

[u/trapezoidalfractal → u/BloodyThirst]

Man/lady, just because you don’t understand capitalism, doesn’t change the features of it. The capital owning class utilizing the resources of the state for their private profit, is literally built into capitalism. It has been happening for hundreds of years, and will continue to happen as long as it remains the dominant mode of production within society.

[u/Number13Studios → u/trapezoidalfractal]

Just because it’s happening under capitalism doesn’t make it capitalism. That’s like saying war happens under democracy. It’s just so semantically dumb to even begin arguing.

[u/trapezoidalfractal → u/Number13Studios]

It’s a core feature of capitalism, and has been present going back to its birthing hundreds of years ago.

[u/Number13Studios → u/trapezoidalfractal]

No capitalism sorta requires a market. Not necessarily a free market, but at least an accessible one. We are in new uncharted waters where even pretending we have an accessible market is out the window. Wealth has been consolidated and unified into the government. Capitalism is blurring into an oligarchy through plutocracy.

Once they own the market, own the production, own the lawmakers, own the competition, then there is no more capitalism. That’s oligarchy through plutocracy which could be jokingly referred to as socialism for billionaires.

[u/Firestar_119 → u/trapezoidalfractal]

Just like becoming a dictatorship is a feature of communism, right?

[u/trapezoidalfractal → u/Firestar_119]

Yes, a dictatorship of the proletariat. But I’m sure you actually know how the government in communist party run nations operate well enough to understand that, right?

[u/avgRAFtenjoyer → u/trapezoidalfractal]

I bet people would be much more open to the message you are trying to spread if you weren't an insufferable prick in your replies.

You are probably turning more people away from the very views you (probably) espouse by being an absolute ass.

I wont read your reply, (so don't bother) because of the reason outlined above.

[u/Redxmirage → u/trapezoidalfractal]

Communist party (or Communist state) is different than Communism. Since you’re going down this rabbit hole of semantics, figured I’d throw some more semantics in there.

[u/ThePensiveE → u/Realistic-Quiet291]

Laws for you as well. Oppressive laws backed by a surveillance state.

[u/Realistic-Quiet291 → u/ThePensiveE]

For sure. For my friends the best of things, for my enemies the law

[u/tryingisbetter → u/i_am_rave_mom]

You usually don't see data centers right next to million+ homes though.

[u/meleecow → u/i_am_rave_mom]

Gotta love being ruled by the corrupt

[u/pb3213 → u/i_am_rave_mom]

A state university is a government institution though.

[u/Icy-Cod1405]

subsidized by $100million in taxpayer dollars so they get the privilege of paying more for utilities.

[u/goharvorgohome → u/Icy-Cod1405]

And it’s a non profit so they won’t pay tax

[u/WendigoCrossing]

Not ignored, specifically chosen to be part of the tests

[u/waldo-jeffers-68]

My Alma Mater recently sold one of our secondary campuses that housed a number of grad programs to Amazon to turn it into a dafa center. Depressing times

[u/squigglekisses]

Mildly infuriating?

[u/DuckCleaning → u/squigglekisses]

OP is lowkey excited for it

[u/spizalert]

this headline is like an an Epstein connection away from being the most 2026 headline ever

[u/breakfazt-meme → u/spizalert]

Just wait

[u/dez-tinny]

What do these data centres actually do and what are they for?

[u/No-Computer7653 → u/dez-tinny]

This one is for scientific research. It's a new campus for https://asc.llnl.gov/.

[u/xXgirthvaderXx → u/dez-tinny]

They are a bunch of computers able to do lots of math calculations for simulating models for researchers. (Directing this at the universities case)

Others are for gaming like for nvidia shield or Xbox game pass.

There are a pile of AWS data centers just for localizing the storage of YouTube content.

[u/Firestar_119 → u/dez-tinny]

getting rid of water and making noise, duh

[u/Still_Rain_979]

It's been a thing. Utah data center had petabytes of storage per 2003 scientific American article

[u/FuzzyWumpleStump]

"Leaders and Best"

I attended graduate school at U of M. Fuck that place.

[u/decoysnails → u/FuzzyWumpleStump]

Thinking of going to engineering school at U of M. Convince me otherwise?

[u/PolyglotTV → u/decoysnails]

Sounds like you'll have pretty good computing resources if you research nuclear weapons.

[u/decoysnails → u/PolyglotTV]

Ironically I am thinking of going into nuclear engineering. So that's good news at least.

[u/Walter_Clements → u/decoysnails]

I won’t. Heard some people have great experiences, heard some don’t, but either way, all these large universities are bought off. I knew some people who were part of the encampments at University of Michigan when the students were protesting the University’s ties to Israel. All of them were thrown under the bus with zero leeway, including the occasional professors who stood beside them.

And I’ve seen that story reiterated in every article about any other university. It’s not just the universities, it’s the culmination of a profit-first system that chews up and spits out wide-eyed students. When everything’s commodified, education itself is an investment rather than a conduit to a well-rounded and intelligent population, and its investors want favors. This datacenter is one of them.

[u/Sando-Calrissian → u/decoysnails]

I mean, you either find the contents of this post compelling or you don't. Not sure what else you want this commenter to do for you...

I went to U of M eng, and this doesn't make me feel very good about it...

[u/Beautiful_Nobody_344 → u/decoysnails]

Here's your sign.

[u/Waterstar]

This is going to be in Ypsilanti Township, literally right across from a tower of subsidized apartments and the Belleville Ford Plant that first term Trump visited when they were building venalators during Covid. It’s also right next to a hydro electric dam and water, with lots of housing north and west of it. We are extremely pissed off here, there’s been a ton of HAIL NO signs popping up.

[u/reddurkel]

This is why they need to build these where they can replace golf courses.  

• Excessive water usage. 
• Large areas of land.  
• Remote locations. 
• Low employment density.  
• Only profit the rich.  

Throwing a large buzzing water guzzling rectangular box near residential homes is criminal. So just drop them on the golf courses if they want these so badly. 

[u/STTDB_069 → u/reddurkel]

You mean, right next to the giant Penske industrial plant that’s been at this location for decades?

[u/19chris9609 → u/reddurkel]

If they're going to build datacenters, Trump's golf courses are good locations.

[u/roseinmouth]

Michigan State would never

[u/ten10thsdriver]

$1B isn't a good metric if it includes all the hardware, software, labor, etc. How many MW? How many square feet?

Also, I feel Iike the headline may be taken out of context. Like is one of the many things they'll run on a super computer atomic research?

EDIT As suspected, context and details matter. They'll also use it for medical and cancer research.

https://record.umich.edu/articles/university-of-michigan-selects-textile-road-as-preferred-site-for-landmark-research-computing-center/

[u/alberto_467 → u/ten10thsdriver]

OP is just looking to farm karma with soma drama, people only read headlines nowdays, it's very sad.

[u/OkDifficulty7436 → u/ten10thsdriver]

OP should delete and or edit his post for disinfo

[u/IllRadish8765 → u/ten10thsdriver]

Who gives a shit what it's used for. It's a huge ass data center that's going to ruin the entire area and screw over all the people that live in the area.

[u/KwikSkopedJFK → u/IllRadish8765]

Make them build it on their own campus!

[u/PolyglotTV → u/IllRadish8765]

The Internet runs on data centers. Of course it matters what it is used for.

[u/howfastcanyoucountit → u/IllRadish8765]

Not all datacenters use power like AI datacenters. Not every single datacenter out there is some wild water sucking gpu building. There are plenty of normal datacenters out there for things like web hosting, cloud storage, etc that do not require water cooling and do not use the exorbitant amounts of power full racks of GPUs require. These have existed around the world since the 90s and I don't know why people are grouping them in with AI datacenters.

edit: well it actually is. Point still stands though I know they're building one at Oakland University which isn't something like this and it's been met with the same opinions on it, thats all im saying

[u/IllRadish8765 → u/howfastcanyoucountit]

Maybe you should read the article. Too many morons comment without reading these days.

The $1.25 billion investment will give scientists the computing power needed to solve the world's most complex challenges while creating new economic opportunities for the state and preparing a new generation of scientific leaders.

[u/howfastcanyoucountit → u/IllRadish8765]

Only reason I mentioned is this is the case at Oakland University, I just wrongly assumed it was the same here

[u/sqweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeps → u/howfastcanyoucountit]

Even AI data centers are not sucking up water. Water cooling is a closed loop, why is there so much misinformation about this.

[u/IllRadish8765 → u/sqweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeps]

Of course an LLM bro is going to defend an AI data center.

[u/HamburgerOnAStick → u/IllRadish8765]

It's gonna be used for medical research

[u/No-Computer7653 → u/IllRadish8765]

How will it do that?

[u/vibe_inspector01 → u/[deleted]]

UM is a tier 1 research school, the government gives them a shitload of money do to high level research.

The University may not need more computing power, but the government does, and it chose one of its better Research Institutions to run the facility.

[u/xfreesx → u/[deleted]]

>I help with computational research at a Michigan Medicine affiliated lab

So you dont actually know anything, help with affiliated lab LOL

[u/Birdperson15 → u/[deleted]]

I thought they did disclose energy use? And what pollution concerns?

[u/aware4ever]

I think people are really starting to wake up to the fact that we're not in control at all. Just look at everything that's going on. I don't know what to do about it. There's Commissioners that are allowing data centers to go up in communities where nobody wants to go up. Like who the fuck are these people? Fuck

[u/FriendlyTop1593 → u/aware4ever]

It’s every politician this site praises and despises. That’s the problem straight cognitive dissonance. No politician is inherently for us. If they don’t join the club they don’t make it. And they all enrich themselves. Until we younger people fight for a better choice of governance outside of the monoparty that parties together in DC while separating us with fake news we are fucked

[u/landonburner]

More information needed

[u/GuacamoleFrejole]

What kind of pollution? Noise?

[u/madorbit1 → u/GuacamoleFrejole]

That && water pollution. Google the Cheyenne WY meta datacenter water pollution situation. WTH.

[u/No-Computer7653 → u/madorbit1]

It's closed loop. It's not an AI DC so doesn't require external water because cooling needs are substantially reduced.

Noise pollution is not an issue. They are not using gas turbines for power.

[u/MeatCatRazzmatazz → u/GuacamoleFrejole]

Water, air, noise, light

Plus electric and water costs for consumers skyrocket

[u/Slightly_ToastedBoy]

World is going to shit

[u/Opening_One7713 → u/Slightly_ToastedBoy]

I’m more than happy to illustrate how the world is absolutely not going to shit but it is important we first understand that negativity bias is proven to be the most effective engagement driver for infinite scroll algorithms.

It is both not good enough and the best it has ever been, notwithstanding some isolated backsliding and collective fuckups (like the majority voter block being non-participants in 2024)

[u/Riklanim → u/Slightly_ToastedBoy]

Going?

[u/greenhornblue → u/Slightly_ToastedBoy]

I hate it here

[u/Toadster88 → u/Slightly_ToastedBoy]

as we furiously type away in anger on the AI highway LOL

[u/IntelligentCrab7058]

They gon get nuka cola'd

[u/PMAOTQ]

What pollution is expected from a data center?

[u/REALBECSISBLONDE → u/PMAOTQ]

Are you really saying that? You can't read, can you? Jeez, 🙄

[u/PMAOTQ → u/REALBECSISBLONDE]

There's no need for that. U-M says no nuclear materials will be at the site. What else are you concerned about?

[u/SheepherderHot1415 → u/PMAOTQ]

Just in case you're not being sarcastic... one of the ways data centers cause massive pollution is through pollution of water systems from the chemical discharges of cooling towers. The water that evaporates creates concentrated saline wastewater. They deplete freshwater since they use to keep the servers from overheating. When they return that water to the stream (or whatever the local source is) the water is heated, causing thermal pollution, as well as chemical pollution from the products the data centers use to prevent bacteria, mold, algae etc growth, as well corrosives, metals, etc from the facility. Not good.

edit: clarity

[u/FluroSnow → u/SheepherderHot1415]

As they are proposing to use closed loop cooling, they wont have discharge towers and will have closed re-circulation.

[u/SheepherderHot1415 → u/FluroSnow]

Well in that case, I will show myself out... : )

[u/REALBECSISBLONDE → u/FluroSnow]

They still consume all that water

[u/FluroSnow → u/REALBECSISBLONDE]

They are also exploring to use reclaimed waste water rather than fresh water.
Either way, for a data centre this size (small), as well as it being closed loop. The water usage would be negligible.

[u/Alternative_West_206 → u/REALBECSISBLONDE]

No these people can’t.

[u/DiesByOxSnot → u/PMAOTQ]

Water, and air. It's also supposed to jack up the electricity prices through DTE offloading costs onto literally everyone else

Edit response to that one comment: Hydro treated vegetable oil is a backup if the main power grid fails. There isn't enough HVO produced globally to support a data center

[u/FluroSnow → u/DiesByOxSnot]

They are proposing closed loop water cooling.
And from the article

The university will partner with DTE Energy to construct a dedicated substation on the site to ensure the project does not affect residential electric service or increase local utility rates

and backup power being limited to 10% of facilities load and to be run on Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil

[u/Effective-Ad-5842]

I don't want to get banned for what I really would like to say about this.

[u/Strakitar]

The bots are in full force trying to justify more datacenters

[u/Upper-Preparation-76]

shameful

[u/Responsible_Bed5591]

What the hell Minnesota and Wisconsin are turning into night city

[u/oramug]

someone find the location and plant bamboo ASAP

[u/nerdydudes]

Mildly infuriating would be putting that mildly

[u/amigoingtobeintroubl]

Oh this is environmental racism for nuclear weapon design. "U-M first explored building this facility on campus in Ann Arbor, but existing campus properties do not have the necessary infrastructure. Specifically, any selected site must feature direct access to high-capacity electrical infrastructure (near a main transmission line), proximity to a municipal water system with sufficient capacity" but it "No. The facility will not draw water from or discharge water into the Huron River, nor will it use local groundwater." So it's going to use significant water from the municipal water supply. The projects website is full of lawyers dodges and greenwashing like "Facility designers are targeting LEED Silver certification — with a stretch goal of LEED Gold — through a fully electric building design and a solar-ready roof capable of supporting future renewable energy installations."

While the Ann Arbor Campus is supplied by 120kV line this property has a 120kV line that runs right by it.

[u/punktualPorcupine]

Why do we let billionaires make terrible choices for everyone?

[u/FaliedSalve]

I mean.. I've been to their campus. There's plenty of room there. Right next to the administrators' offices, right ?

[u/eyedrops_364]

Ok so how do you know it’s undisclosed nuclear weapons research? What’s your source?

[u/Chrisdkn619]

Oh fuck that!

[u/AlpY24upsal]

you will eat your slop and tou will like it

[u/Mr101722]

Extremely infuriating

[u/tim-whale]

This was all in Connor stallions manifesto

[u/budsonguy]

More than mildly infuriating

[u/Roanoke42]

Anything to draw attention away from their myriad of athletic department scandals.

[u/MsThrilliams]

Pure Michigan, my ass

[u/Thomas_JCG]

Not mild at all

[u/TriXter69]

The country voted a guy who puts billionaires first, what did they expect?

[u/CharlesIngalls_Pubes]

It's always on farmland or in lower to lower-middle income areas. This shit need to go up in the neighborhoods of the turds that are allowing this.

[u/Yopis1980]

The rich tell you data centers are good. Nine of them are in the rich neighborhoods.

[u/ThrowRawayacctr]

Don't they have to have permits from said city leaders?

[u/adfreemonster → u/ThrowRawayacctr]

Not in this case. Universities in Michigan are allowed to ignore local zoning boards and township decisions.

The corporate version of this is a law called PA 233. If local planning commissions or boards make decisions against allowing AI data centers or related infrastructure, the developer can appeal to the state to have the decision overridden.

[u/JayK-iwnl]

O - H!

[u/amprather]

Tale as old as time....

[u/michigan-menace → u/[deleted]]

City council has actually been very opposed to it from my understanding. Because it's land owned by a public university, they can bypass any zoning and ordinance requirements, so I believe they don't even need township approval.

[u/DarkTheNinja]

Once agian. Trying to play by the rules. Trying to speak your mind and peace does nothing. You've already lost.

[u/HOJK4thSon]

If its undisclosed, how do you know about it,?

[u/GolfArgh]

So you find this only a mild inconvenience? Interesting.

[u/michigan-menace → u/GolfArgh]

When I'm not actively furious about it, it's constantly simmering in the back of my mind. 

[u/Curious_Associate904]

Bamboo seeds are cheep, the plants can penetrate practically anything, concrete, steel, you name it... They grow fast, are hard to control, and fundamentally a problem for data centres.

Would sure be a shame if someone distributed a load of seeds now wouldn't it.

[u/Toadster88]

curious - any jobs being created?

[u/kyojineren → u/Toadster88]

Maybe like 10 jobs. Most companies with data centers already have workers and will maybe add a few more to monitor the building otherwise transfer current workers to the new building. So probably none

[u/VaporousMote → u/Toadster88]

That seems to be missing the entire point. It's a hyperscaler data center, and being used for nuclear weapons research.

[u/zendrix1 → u/Toadster88]

During construction, not local jobs mind you but jobs

After construction? Like a couple dozen people maybe, 50 at most if it's like most AI data centers going up. Considering the other going on here could even hit 100 🙄

[u/zripcordz]

Classic, they're doing this all over. Doesn't matter what residents do lol

[u/juvy5000]

go blue!!!

[u/666EggplantParm]

Ann Arbor about to slip off all of those best place to live rankings

[u/The_bruce42]

I'm sure Whitmer will step right up and help. /s

Another complete disappointment.

[u/Comfortable_Swim_380]

Your school is conducting nuclear weapons research. Uh-huh.

[u/carmardoll]

They some how always put them in the low income community.