Data Centers: Northern Michigan

How easily could a big data center set up in northern Michigan?

Michigan Advance | Vivian La and Austin Rowlader

June 23, 2026

The region lacks some of the infrastructure that developers look for, but experts said that doesn’t mean local leaders shouldn’t prepare. IPR digs into zoning, utilities, power grids and more.

This [Michigan Advance] coverage is made possible in part through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.

Data centers have dominated conversations in the last year, facing mounting concerns from residents and government officials for their energy use and environmental impacts. Michigan is already home to about 75 data centers, which house computer servers underpinning the internet. But a recent expansion of extremely large “hyperscale” centers, which power artificial intelligence models, has prompted some townships to study and develop temporary bans on their construction.

IPR talked to experts across local policy, utilities and zoning to understand where northern Michigan fits in the shifting conversation around data centers.

Read the full article here.