PODCAST:
Aug. 27, 2026 ~ Chris Renwick and Lloyd Jackson speak with Jim Holcomb, president and CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and part of the Michigan For Responsible Data Center Coalition, about how he thinks Michigan should approach the proliferation of AI data centers.
As AI technology grows at a rapid pace, so is public backlash to many elements of it, particularly with the data centers associated with this new tech trend, leaving states like Michigan questioning how to approach their implementation.
AI tech companies require a massive amount of power to train their models, leading to a surge of data centers popping up across the U.S., with large corporations investing hundreds of billions of dollars into them. Many communities, though, where data centers have been built or are being proposed, are hostile towards them.
While some city council members and AI companies tout potential job growth and economic investments, community members have shown up to city council meetings across the country to express their fears of a potential rise in electrical bills and excessive water use associated with data centers.
However, Jim Holcomb, president and CEO of Michigan Chamber of Commerce and part of the Michigan For Responsible Data Center Coalition, believes that Michigan should not miss out on economic investments and the question is how to be responsible with the construction of data centers.
“Many people in the public have strong opinions, and we just wanted to make sure we were constructive in the process, helping to bring good data and information so our policymakers have thoughtful, transparent policy, fact-based debates,” he said. “Data centers are not going away, and the real question isn’t ‘will they be built?’ It’s ‘will Michigan be prepared to build them and compete responsibly for this investment?’“
