News & Insights
Photo courtesy of: Greg Land
Oakland University is soliciting proposals from experienced developer-led teams to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain a data center on its Rochester, Michigan campus outside of Detroit.
The five-acre project site on an existing parking lot is adjacent to an existing electrical substation operated by DTE Energy. Initial assessments of the site and substation indicated up to 26MW of available electrical capacity to support project activities as well as adjacency to municipal water lines and existing fiber networks operated by multiple private entities. The University believes that these pre-existing conditions make the site an ideal location for a colocation data center serving regional clients in healthcare, research, and private industry.
An R2 institution, Oakland’s current high performance computation needs are projected to grow, but currently total less than 1MW. The University, therefore, is looking for developer-led teams to develop a business plan in which external revenues from leases support facility delivery costs. Though the University is exploring the option to locate its own research activities and an educational “AI Institute” at the facility, it does not expect to be the sole or majority user.
Interested development teams can learn more about the project at an optional pre-bid meeting (virtual) on June 26, and questions are due on July 10. Proposal submissions are due on July 29.
To access the RFP and its attachments, click here. For more information, interested development teams can contact Marie Ebner-Smith (ebnersmi@oakland.edu) or Julian Sagastume (jsagastume@bdconnect.com).
Brailsford & Dunlavey is advising Oakland University on this project.
