Southfield just cleared a $1.5 billion, two‑story data center near I‑696, which is big money and a big regional footprint for compute.
That price tag and design screams high‑density, likely GPU‑heavy AI workloads rather than generic enterprise hosting.
The location on a highway corridor hints at power and fiber access, but also sets up long‑term friction with neighbors over noise, traffic, and substation build‑out.
Local opposition at the council meeting signals future battles over expansion phases, energy use, and tax incentives as the facility ramps.
For operators and vendors, this is another example of AI data centers pushing into suburban zones where permitting and community relations become part of the infra stack.
For anyone tracking where AI capacity will really live, the article is worth a close read.
Source: Southfield City Council approves controversial data center plan
