Why It Matters
A massive proposed data center campus in Montana could reshape the regional economy and energy grid, but a newly signed labor agreement between the developer and a local union federation is raising questions about transparency — with both parties keeping the deal largely under wraps.
What Happened
Quantica Infrastructure and the Southeastern Montana Building and Construction Trades Council signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday, establishing a cooperative framework covering union-backed workforce development, apprenticeship programs, training pathways, and project stability for a planned development called the Big Sky Campus.
The project would be built just outside Broadview, a town of roughly 140 residents located about 30 miles north of Billings. Trades Council President Clint McCulloch declined to release the MOU publicly and would not provide figures on anticipated construction jobs or unionization levels. McCulloch said only that “skilled and trained workers” would build the facility.
Travis Hall, a former adviser to Gov. Greg Gianforte, distributed a press release on behalf of Quantica but declined an interview, responding only through email.
By the Numbers
The Big Sky Campus is planned as one of the largest data center developments in the region. Key figures from Quantica’s public materials include:
- 5,000 acres — total planned campus footprint, roughly 7.8 square miles
- 12 to 16 buildings, each between 200,000 and 300,000 square feet
- 1,100 megawatts — near-term estimated power demand
- 7,000 megawatts — potential eventual power requirement, a figure that would rival the output of several large power plants
For context, the entire state of Montana currently consumes far less electricity annually than the campus’s projected peak demand would require.
Zoom Out
Large-scale data center developments are proliferating across rural America as artificial intelligence and cloud computing drive surging demand for power and server infrastructure. States with available land, water, and energy capacity have become targets for these projects, which promise construction jobs and tax revenue but can also strain local utilities and raise land-use concerns. Janicki Industries recently announced an $800 million manufacturing campus in Great Falls, signaling broader momentum for large-footprint industrial development in Montana.
Critics have noted that the labor agreement’s opacity is consistent with a broader pattern in the data center industry, where developers often announce partnerships with minimal binding public commitments. Anne Hedges of the Montana Environmental Information Center pushed back on the announcement’s substance: “All you hear from these guys is PR, just like this press release today. It’s feel-good.”
The center raised broader concerns about environmental and community impacts on a small town ill-equipped for the infrastructure demands such a campus would generate.
What’s Next
No construction timeline, permitting filings, or utility agreements have been publicly announced. With the MOU’s terms undisclosed and no specific job creation figures offered, scrutiny is likely to continue from environmental groups and community stakeholders as the project moves toward regulatory review. Labor organizers across Montana have been navigating similar challenges in translating cooperative frameworks into enforceable agreements.