Google Project Cannoli: $5B 1GW Michigan AI Data Center

Status: Preliminary Site Approval (Feb 2026) / Main Announcement (March 2026)   |   Location: Van Buren Township (Wayne County), Michigan

Project Overview

Formally unveiled on March 17, 2026, Project Cannoli represents Google's first major hyperscale entry into Michigan. The project is notable for its massive energy footprint, requiring enough electricity to power roughly 2 million homes. To support this, Google and DTE Energy announced a "clean-firm" power agreement including 2.7 GW of new solar, battery storage, and demand response assets. Under this contract, Google will pay the full cost of all required grid, transmission, and distribution upgrades, providing an estimated $1.7 billion in "affordability benefits" to existing DTE ratepayers. Architecturally, the campus is designed to support the NVIDIA Rubin platform (announced at GTC 2026) and Google's latest TPU v6 clusters. The site will utilize between 2 and 3.6 million gallons of water daily, managed via a high-efficiency recycled water loop.

Beyond its scale, Project Cannoli signals a structural shift in hyperscale site selection, prioritizing regions with expandable grid capacity and regulatory alignment for large energy interconnections. The integration of "clean-firm" energy ensures consistent baseload availability, addressing intermittency challenges typically associated with renewable-heavy portfolios. Google’s willingness to underwrite grid modernization costs sets a precedent for future hyperscale developments, effectively accelerating utility infrastructure upgrades while minimizing rate impacts on local consumers. On the technical side, the campus is expected to deploy advanced liquid cooling and high-density rack configurations to support next-generation AI accelerators, significantly increasing compute per square foot. Additionally, the project is likely to catalyze a broader digital infrastructure ecosystem across Michigan, including fiber expansion, supplier networks, and workforce development initiatives, positioning the region as an emerging secondary hub for AI-driven data center growth in the United States.

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