$3 billion A.I. data center potentially heading to Michiana

BENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A multibillion-dollar development could still be coming to Berrien County. A still unnamed company is considering Benton Township as a site for a new artificial intelligence data center.

But it depends on the state passing legislation to attract the massive facilities that store data needed to support new technology.

The 280 acres of unused property on Yore Avenue near Lake Michigan College, could soon bring a multibillion-dollar industry to the area.

"It's unprecedented what this could bring to the area,” said Chokwe Pitchford, a Berrien County Commissioner who serves on the National Association of Counties Artificial Intelligence Committee.

He believes AI is the future and Southwest Michigan could be at the center of it.

The amount of storage these clouds need is massive which is why Michigan State Representative Joey Andrews believes the empty 280 acres of property would be a perfect location.

“We have access to a lot of electricity with the Cook Plant and soon to be Palisades coming back online. Water for cooling and there's a lot of space. So these are pretty large projects. So you put that all together, and makes for a pretty attractive site for this industry so I am hoping it will be one of many,” added Andrews.

Andrews doesn’t want to stop there.

He had sponsored a bill that would incentivize these centers to come to Southwest Michigan with tax breaks.

In return, they hope to see thousands of jobs created and millions of dollars of tax revenue come to the area.

The Yore site is already under consideration for a potentially $3,000,000 development.

The legislation, creating special tax exemptions, would need to pass before the project could move forward.

The bill has received strong support from local officials, but it's up to the state legislature and Governor Gretchen Whitmer to make the final call.

Pitchford hopes that if passed it will not only bring the center to Benton Township but also greater understanding of AI to the area.

If passed, construction could begin here as soon as next year.