The Detroit News
Nolan Finley
Aug. 26, 2026
“Beggars can’t be choosers” should be Michigan’s new motto and its economic development strategy.
This state is wallowing at the bottom of desirability rankings. Job creators are snubbing Michigan. And none of the next big things are giving it a look.
That means more of what we’ve had for too long: stagnating population, declining incomes and our best and brightest draining away to places with more promising futures.
Michigan has one option for quickly changing its trajectory. Data centers.
Instead of moratoriums, pauses and outright bans, we should set a goal of becoming the Midwest capitol for data centers. With nearly everyone else slamming the door on the digital incubators, Michigan should send a signal that it’s willing to partner with the industry to help develop a new generation of data centers with the least negative impact on host communities.