The University of Michigan will invest $15 million to upgrade leased space for data center use, the school said this week. The 10,000 square foot facility at 1000 Oakbrook Drive in Ann Arbor has been leased for 15 years. The $15 million will go toward adding the necessary power and air-conditioning systems and improving the space to meet the specific needs of the data center. University officials said it would be cheaper for them to buy and upgrade an existing property than to build its own data center from scratch. Michigan requires substantial computing power for simulations in engineering, life sciences and astrophysics, researchers told the University Board of Regents, which approved the funding this week.
