Spectrum News: Michigan congressman seeks federal investigation into Dowagiac robotics project
A planned humanoid robotics project at a southwest Michigan data center is drawing federal attention after U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg asked the Department of Commerce to investigate the company’s partnership with a Chinese robotics manufacturer.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Walberg urged the department to review Hyperscale Data’s robotics program at its Dowagiac campus. He said the company’s partnership with Shanghai-based AGIBOT could pose risks to U.S. companies and critical infrastructure because of China’s military-civil fusion strategy and intelligence laws.
According to a release from the parent company, Omnipresent Robotics, operating under the umbrella of Hyperscale Data Inc., is in the process of importing components and control software to assemble humanoid robots in Dowagiac, Michigan.
“Foreign adversaries, especially the People’s Republic of China, remain a threat to America,” Walberg wrote. “Their military-civil fusion strategy and national intelligence laws … create risks for American companies who may choose to partner with them in key fields such as humanoid robotics.”
Walberg’s request comes less than two weeks after Hyperscale Data announced it had assembled its first OPR-R2 humanoid robot at its Dowagiac campus and would soon begin installing the machines. The company said it has 143 robots on order, with up to 100 expected to operate at the facility. The campus in Dowagiac is also set to see a complete 100,000-square-foot redevelopment of specifically for robotics use.
A July 17 release from Hyperscale Date Inc. said the expansion could create more than 500 jobs over the next three years, although it wasn't immediately clear what jobs fields those would be created in or if they would be in Michigan. In the same release, Hyperscale representatives said all data generated through the robotics program will be processed, stored and maintained in the United States and is not intended to leave the country.
The Dowagiac campus has already made headlines as the company shifts from cryptocurrency mining to artificial intelligence and robotics. Neighbors have sued over increasing and persistent noise they say has come from the facility, while the company has said it is investing in improvements as part of the site’s expansion.
Spectrum News has reached out to Hyperscale Data for comment on Walberg’s letter and whether the company plans to respond to the concerns it raises. As of publication, the company had not responded.