Nearly 400 area residents attended a Jan. 29 open house in Ypsilanti, where they could ask questions and learn more about the university’s plan to build a high-performance computational research facility in partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, or LANL. 

This was the second community meeting, with the first being held in September 2025.

“This research facility is a generational opportunity to give Michigan researchers the tools they need to solve urgent real-world problems — saving lives, strengthening communities, and keeping discovery and innovation rooted in Michigan,” said Steven Ceccio, the project lead and the Vincent T. and Gloria M Gorguze Professor of Engineering, and professor of mechanical engineering and of naval architecture and marine engineering in the College of Engineering.

Unlike a commercial data center that stores and delivers online content for private-sector platforms, U-M and LANL are proposing a high-performance computational facility to drive scientific research and innovation. The planned facility, which will be about one-tenth the size of a typical data center, will house thousands of computers that work together to quickly analyze information, solve complex problems and drive breakthroughs in science, medicine, energy and other academic fields.

The proposed facility will house two separate research centers. One will support Los Alamos scientists and engineers focusing on critical national security challenges, while the other will be an academic computing center that supports U-M faculty, researchers, students and partners throughout the state.

“By collaborating, U-M and LANL can create a unique innovation ecosystem,” Ceccio said. “This project will bring some of the world’s most brilliant scientific minds to Michigan, providing a powerful resource for our students and faculty while applying pioneering computing techniques to the work of U-M researchers in medical, energy and environmental studies.”

U-M and LANL have not yet selected the site for this facility and continue to evaluate locations in southeastern Michigan that meet the technical and community requirements for a project of this scale. At the open house, the university shared more information about two specific locations: one at Textile Road and one at the Willow Run Airport.

Experts from U-M and LANL presented information that provided an overview of the project, the site selection process, areas of research, and the ways sustainability has been baked into the design of the facility. Officials from DTE were also available to answer questions about how electricity will be supplied.

“U-M researchers are leaders on how to make computing and AI more efficient, and we will be leveraging that expertise in this facility,” said Karthik Duraisamy, director of the Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering and research lead on this project. “As a top research university, it is our responsibility and obligation to show the world how computing algorithms, hardware and facilities can be designed and operated more sustainably.”

The proposed facility will be fully electric, with the capacity to add solar panels to self-generate a portion of the necessary power in the future. Inside, the design incorporates direct-to-chip cooling which is the most efficient cooling system available. 

Both potential sites would utilize municipal water and neither would draw from nor release water into the Huron River. And both locations are zoned for light industrial and provide adequate space for the facility and a substation that DTE will build with the university funding construction.

“This is a significant research investment for the state of Michigan and it deserves careful consideration,” said Chris Kolb, vice president for government relations. “We appreciate how many people took the time to join us and engage thoughtfully this evening. While we were not able to connect with everyone, we remain committed to keeping the community informed and creating additional opportunities to share updates as the project moves forward.” 

Construction on the $1.25 billion initiative, which was endorsed by the Michigan House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees, is expected to begin in 2027 with the facility fully operational in 2031. When completed, the facility will join 17 Department of Energy National Laboratories that make up the nation’s research and innovation ecosystem that provides information that is critical for U.S. economic competitiveness, foreign policy, domestic energy needs, and supports local economies.