Google, an international technology giant, is the operator for the Michigan City data center, otherwise known as Project Maize.
“Today Google is confirming our acquisition of the Project Maize site in Michigan City,” Broderick Green, Google data center public affairs manager said in a statement. “We understand this site has faced challenges in the past, and we are committed to being a collaborative and transparent partner as we move forward. That’s why we’re committed to a sustainable, long-term presence that benefits the entire community. That includes paying for 100% of the cost of power for the site and any infrastructure needs driven by our operations.”
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A representative for Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch confirmed that Google will operate the $832 million data center in a Thursday phone call with the Post-Tribune. The Michigan City Economic Development Corporation also confirmed the development on its website.
The data center will be located at 402 Royal Road. The site was formerly occupied by Federal Mogul Corporation and has been owned by Phoenix Investors since 2022.
“We continue to progress toward a new level of prosperity with an eye to embracing innovative redevelopment projects,” Deuitch said in a statement. “By accepting the need for data centers in our tech-based culture and welcoming Google as a community partner, we are spotlighting Michigan City as a hub for digital infrastructure.”
Previous documents listed the operator as Lavender Fields Holdings LLC, and according to Indiana Economic Development Corporation sales tax exemption documents, Google is listed as an affiliate.
In July 2025, Deuitch said her administration and council members entered into non-disclosure agreements to review the concept in a confidential executive session, and no formal agreement was reached at the time.
The Michigan City Common Council, in September, passed four resolutions that would allow the construction of a more than $800 million data center at 402 Royal Road, according to Post-Tribune archives. The resolutions provided multiple tax abatements, designated the area as an economic revitalization area and approved a taxpayer agreement for Project Maize.
Michigan City residents have been concerned with the data center since its initial announcement at local meetings. Residents are most concerned with a data center’s effects on community health, environment, and local workforce.
Executive Director of Just Transition Northwest Indiana Ashley Williams, on behalf of various organizations, sent a letter to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Michigan City officials asking to halt construction and related soil disturbance at the Project Maize site, according to Post-Tribune archives.
Michigan City residents have also filed a zoning complaint to attempt to halt construction. Residents also allege that Michigan City officials are refusing to allow them to view data center site plans, citing a statute in Indiana Code that would allow municipalities to deny access if there’s a threat to public safety.
IDEM, on March 19, approved an air permit for the facility that allows for 66 diesel-fired critical emergency generators “that would have no control device to limit emissions and would exhaust outdoors,” according to the Environmental Law and Policy Center. It would have “insignificant activities,” which include two diesel-fired site entrance emergency generators, two diesel-fired fire pump emergency generators, and 70 belly tanks with “a maximum storage capacity of 5,373 gallons to store fuel with no control devices.”
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Just Transition Northwest Indiana created a petition to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to object to the permit.
“At Google, we also have a deep commitment to the health and safety of our employees, our construction partners, and the communities where we operate,” Green said. “We will apply our industry-leading practices to the Michigan City site, ensuring that our presence is a positive one. We look forward to working with local leaders and community members to create a project that we can all be proud of.”