Construction has begun on the Oracle/OpenAI Stargate campus in Saline Township, Michigan.

On June 1, Related Digital, Blackstone, Oracle, OpenAI, Walbridge, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer held a launch ceremony for "The Barn," which will be home to a Stargate data center campus for OpenAI.

All campus buildings are now under construction, and the first of three 550,000 sq ft (51,100 sqm) data center buildings is almost completed.

While this ceremony officially marks the commencement of works at the site, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously stated that the first steel beams had been installed at the campus in late March 2026.

The Saline Township project was confirmed in October 2025, with the site expected to offer 1GW of capacity and cost around $10bn to develop. Related Digital is developing the campus and has been targeting the site since August 2025.

Despite being long in the works, the project has faced delays related to securing the necessary funding. In April 2026, this finally came to a resolution, with funding sourced through a combination of equity from Related Digital, funds associated with Blackstone Inc., and a bond sale held by Bank of America for $14bn in bonds tied to the project in a debt sale, of which Pimco acquired $10 billion, the remainder being covered by other investors.

Currently, some 700 Michigan-based construction workers are on the campus, but more than 2,500 union jobs are expected to be generated throughout the construction period.

“The Barn will bring tens of billions of dollars of investment to Michigan, creating thousands of good-paying local jobs both in construction and tech,” said Governor Whitmer. “In Michigan, we’re doing it the right way. We’re ensuring that any company that invests in our communities will pay their own way, fulfill their commitment to good-paying jobs, create energy savings for residents, and be good neighbors by protecting our precious air, land, and water. Let’s keep working together to grow our economy, invest in our people, and build a bright future.”

Among the local investments being made by the companies alongside the data center project, the Saline Recreation Center will be expanded and modernized through a $10m commitment, while $14m will go towards local fire services and farmland preservation funds, and thousands of good-paying union construction jobs.

“Our job at OpenAI is to make intelligence smarter, cheaper, and more abundant so that more people can build, solve problems, and expand what they’re able to do. Delivering that for the many, not the few, will require building new infrastructure,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. “OpenAI is committed to doing it the right way: paying our own way on energy, protecting water supplies, and building in partnership with the communities that host us.”

The project is OpenAI's first to be built under a Memorandum of Understanding with North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), helped by Walbridge.

“Walbridge has been building in Michigan for more than a century, and we’re proud to continue that legacy here in Washtenaw County,” said Mike Haller, CEO of Walbridge. “This project reflects what we stand for – creating good union jobs, expanding apprenticeship opportunities for Michigan workers, and strengthening the next generation of skilled trades. We’re excited to be part of the team delivering the advanced infrastructure that will power the next generation of AI and innovation.”

OpenAI and Oracle have an existing Stargate campus operating in Abilene, Texas. In March 2026, the companies said they were no longer planning to expand the site.

At the start of 2026, OpenAI pledged to pay for its own energy to prevent its data centers from increasing electricity prices for locals.