YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A representative from Los Alamos National Laboratory confirmed that part of the University of Michigan’s planned data center in Ypsilanti Township will be used to support U.S. nuclear weapons research.
“Secret restricted data.”
Patrick Fitch, Los Alamos’ deputy laboratory director for science, technology, and engineering, joined a university open house on the project recently. He told Michigan Daily, the University of Michigan’s independent, student-run newspaper, that one of the facility’s computers would process “secret restricted data” related to the nation’s nuclear weapons program.
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The confirmation validates long-standing concerns from residents and activists who feared the data center’s computing power could be used for nuclear weapons development.
Also, opposition to the project has focused on environmental impacts, strain on the electrical grid, and the ethics of hosting national security nuclear research locally. The University of Michigan has insisted the facility will not manufacture nuclear weapons.
University highlights economic and scientific upside of supercomputing center.
According to a press release from the University of Michigan, the collaboration between the university, the state of Michigan, and Los Alamos National Laboratory for the new supercomputing research center will “power discoveries in health, energy, and security – all while creating good jobs and opportunities for Michigan residents.”
In addition, the press release goes on to say, “The new supercomputing research center will empower scientists and engineers to tackle problems that are too complex for standard computers. By modeling, simulating, and analyzing massive data sets at lightning speed, this facility will enable discoveries that improve lives across Michigan and around the world.”
Still, confirmation that the data center will handle classified nuclear weapons data changes the nature of the project for some residents. While the university highlights research benefits and economic development, the facility now places Ypsilanti Township directly within the nation’s nuclear weapons research infrastructure – a role the community is now learning about.
