Building the infrastructure for the Intelligence Age in Michigan
OpenAI Blog · 2026-06-01
OpenAI breaks ground on The Barn, a 1GW data center campus in Saline, Michigan, committing to 2,500-plus union construction jobs, $1 billion in projected tax revenue, and $45 million in Codex credits for Michigan students as part of its Stargate infrastructure program.
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Topics: ai-infrastructuredata-centersstargateworkforce-developmenteconomic-development
Claims
- The Barn data center campus in Saline, Michigan will reach 1GW of capacity and is part of OpenAI's Stargate program.
- Local ratepayers will not bear the cost of the infrastructure or energy required to support the project.
- The project is expected to create more than 2,500 union construction jobs plus 1,950 additional permanent and indirect jobs.
- OpenAI will make up to $45 million in Codex credits available to more than 400,000 eligible Michigan college, community college, and trade school students.
- The project is projected to generate $1 billion in tax revenue over the lease term.
Key quotes
The communities helping build the infrastructure for advanced AI should share in the opportunities it creates.
Compute is becoming one of the real strategic advantages in AI because it helps make intelligence better, cheaper, and more reliable over time.
In a state that helped drive American industrialization in the 20th century, that matters. This kind of work can help catalyze a new era of reindustrialization in Michigan, rooted in skilled labor, serious building capacity, and long-term economic strength.