A public meeting held by the University of Michigan to discuss a proposed $1.2 billion computing centre in Ypsilanti Township turned into a shouting match, as residents voiced fierce opposition to the 144-acre project. The facility, a joint venture between the university and Los Alamos National Laboratory, is intended for high-performance scientific research, but locals fear it will bring noise, pollution, falling property values and sharply higher taxes, with one homeowner warning her bill could quadruple. The scale of the backlash highlights growing tensions across the US over where major computing infrastructure should be sited, particularly near residential areas.

University officials, including interim vice president Patricia Hurn, acknowledged "enormous anger" and "enormous distrust" among attendees but struggled to make themselves heard over the crowd, with sheriff's deputies and private security present at the venue. The university maintains the centre, expected to run at up to 100 megawatts, is a scientific rather than commercial facility that would support research into medicine, clean energy, engineering and nuclear weapons safety via its Los Alamos partnership. Critics, including a resident who works in the data centre industry, argue that even well-funded facilities generate noise and emissions unsuitable for residential neighbourhoods, while the Los Alamos link — tied to the Manhattan Project's legacy — has added further controversy to the dispute.