en.Wedoany.com Reported - Oracle, Related Digital, Blackstone, OpenAI, Walbridge, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer jointly celebrated the groundbreaking of "The Barn" project. This project is part of the multi-billion dollar Stargate data center campus in Saline Township and represents the single largest economic investment project in Michigan's history.

The project's financing plan has been finalized, with equity contributions from Related Digital, related funds provided by Blackstone, and fixed-rate long-term debt financing supported by funds and accounts managed by Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO).

North America’s Building Trades Unions and Michigan labor representatives, together with the project team, thanked over 700 Michigan skilled workers currently on-site. The project is expected to create more than 2,500 union jobs during construction.

As part of the project's commitment to supporting the surrounding community, Related Digital, Blackstone, OpenAI, Oracle, and Walbridge announced an additional $10 million investment for the expansion and modernization of the Saline Recreation Center. This center serves numerous families in Washtenaw County, and the funds will be used to renovate the aquatic center, including expanding the swimming pool (adding a zero-depth entry leisure area and a lazy river) and improving the children's care area.

This latest community investment builds on previously announced state and local economic benefits, which already included $14 million in direct investments to local fire services and a farmland preservation fund, as well as thousands of high-paying union construction jobs.

The economic impact of "The Barn" project on Saline Township, Washtenaw County, and Michigan also includes: creating over 2,500 union construction jobs, more than 450 on-site permanent positions, and over 1,500 supporting jobs across the county; over $5 billion invested in site construction flowing directly to Michigan contractors and suppliers; and $14 million in direct investments for local fire services and the establishment of new community and farmland preservation funds.

The Saline Township campus becomes the first data center in the U.S. built under a National Maintenance Agreement—covering all 14 signatory affiliated technical unions—as a national project labor agreement. This project is also the first data center built under a memorandum of understanding between OpenAI and North America’s Building Trades Unions. The agreement was developed with participation from Walbridge, whose century-long partnership with Michigan's building trades laid the foundation for this collaboration. Currently, over 700 union skilled workers on-site have accumulated more than 300,000 union work hours across the 250-acre site.

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