OpenAI Stargate Michigan · Saline Township, MI
Last change recorded 2026-10-04 · Last checked 2026-10-04
Latest: Completion (projected Q4 2028) · Full build-out complete · 2028-12-31 (plan) · recorded 2026-10-04
Related Digital's $16bn campus in Saline Township for Oracle/OpenAI: three 550,000 sq ft buildings, an 80,000 sq ft core building and two dedicated substations; 1.4 GW from DTE under 19-year contracts the MPSC conditionally approved 3-0 on 2025-12-18 (under appeal). Full construction from Q1 2026; by April 2026 major construction was underway and financing secured. The state allowed construction before the final air-quality permit. · source ◐ secondary, confidence medium
Recorded readiness — 4 of 5 applicable milestones have a dated public record
Gate to first power — target unknown · path: Grid supply · each step must finish its lead time before the target
1 of 3 required steps have a public date. Red = recorded date past the rule-based deadline · grey "no public date" = required step without a record · green = on record in time · context steps never colour.
| Step | Must finish by | Others did it | Known date | Status | Basis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site secured (context) | — (15 mo before) | 13 mo before (n=26) | 2025-10-30 | context | Announced as the largest investment in Michigan history · ◐ | |
| Permits in hand (context) | — (0 mo before) | 4 mo after (n=8) | 2026-02-15 | context | Construction allowed ahead of the final air-quality permit; wetlands permits · ◐ | |
| Grid supply agreed | — (9 mo before) | 7 mo before (n=11) | 2025-12-18 | context | MPSC approves DTE 1.4 GW contracts · ◐ | |
| Substation and lines energized | — (2 mo before) | 15 mo after (n=1) | no public date | no public date · would need to be done by — | No date on record | |
| Construction started (context) | — (24 mo before) | 29 mo before (n=15) | 2026-03-01 | context | Construction start (planned early 2026) · ◐ | |
| Building ready for IT | — (0 mo before) | 2 mo after (n=7) | no public date | no public date · would need to be done by — | No date on record | |
| Full build-out complete (context) | — (-12 mo before) | — | 2028-12-31 plan | context | Completion (projected Q4 2028) · ◐ |
Lead-time assumptions
- Site secured 15 months before first power — Land under control and campus announced. Rarely binding; shown for context.
- Permits in hand 0 months before first power — Final air and siting permits. Operators often energize on standard or temporary authorisations and receive the major permit later; flagged only when the permit lands more than 6 months after first power or is missing for an on-site plant.
- Grid supply agreed 9 months before first power — Interconnection or large-load agreement approved. Observed median 7 months before first power; the physical works (substation, lines) run in parallel with construction.
- Substation and lines energized 2 months before first power — Utility delivery point live; final tests before the load is taken.
- New generation online 1 months before first power — Utility plant or on-site plant generating; needed just before energization when the grid cannot carry the load alone.
- Major equipment on site 6 months before first power — Turbines, transformers, switchgear delivered; installation and commissioning take the remaining months.
- Construction started 24 months before first power — Groundbreaking of the building that gives first power. Observed 4-26 months for recent AI campuses; Meta's redesigned campuses took 35-58.
- Building ready for IT 0 months before first power — First building ready for IT. 'Complete' or 'opened' is usually reported after first power; flagged only beyond 3 months.
- Full build-out complete -12 months before first power — All announced buildings operational. Comes after first power by design; context only.
- Water supply secured 12 months before first power — Water rights, municipal agreement or desalination contract in hand. Context only; one of the feasibility items.
- Financing closed 12 months before first power — Project financing, anchor lease or committed capital announced. Context only; not applicable when the owner is a hyperscaler building on its balance sheet.
Dated steps (from the sources; later dates are plans)
Build-out timeline (Epoch AI; dated status notes with IT power; rows after today are estimates)
Recorded fact No public date for substation and lines energized, building ready for it.
Calculated requirement No first-power target on record, so no deadlines can be computed.
Sources (Epoch AI selection): Related Digital website for this site · Michigan Public Service Commission Energy Contract Approval, reports 1,383 MW as the site capacity · Air Permitting, calls the site Project Mitten, includes site map · DTE Electric’s contract approval · Website with more details for locals about the site
Epoch AI, 'AI data centers', epoch.ai/data/ai-data-centers (CC BY 4.0); coordinates from GeoNames cities500 (CC BY 4.0) and hand-entered places; overrides in tools/project_overrides.csv with their own sources. Campuses outside the Epoch dataset come from tools/campuses.csv (public reporting, source per row). Data retrieved 2026-10-05. Report a correction to contact@ailoadmap.com (campus id openai-stargate-michigan; include the row and a source link).