Ford announces public-private partnership for its Michigan Central campus

Feb. 4 (UPI) — Ford Motor Co. said Friday it will sign a public-private partnership with the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit at a 30-acre “innovation district” campus centered on the redeveloped historic Michigan Central Station.

Google won a six-year contract last year to work with Ford and provide the project cloud-computing services. The tech giant, in turn, will become a founding member of the district and also offer computer science classes at Michigan Central for local high school students.

The state will provide $126 million to support the campus and innovation district at Michigan Central. Some of the funds will go to reconstruct some streets and develop new housing.

Ford began redeveloping Michigan Central Station in 2018 and is scheduled to finish the project in 2023. The $950 million project is expected to bring 5,000 workers to the district, including 2,500 Ford employees and 2,500 from other businesses and entrepreneurs.

“By embracing a whole-of-government approach in our collaboration with Michigan Central and the city of Detroit, we are writing the playbook for a new kind of partnership that keeps Michigan at the forefront of mobility for generations to come,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, according to WXYZ-TV.

“Together, we can continue growing Michigan’s economy, putting Michiganders first, and win the next century of auto-manufacturing and technology development.”

Ruth Porat, Google’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, said on Friday its Michigan partnership will allow more people to have access to its products.

“In order for the United States to build the next great technologies, people need access to the latest data and digital tools,” Porat said on the company’s blog.

“That’s why we are bringing Google Cloud technology, including our Cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities and data and analytics tools, to Michigan Central to be used on projects and research for future mobility solutions.”
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