Quantica Infrastructure announced a collaboration with the Southeastern Montana Building and Construction Trades Council to develop a new data center near Broadview. The 5,000-acre Big Sky Campus, planned as one of the world’s largest data centers, will include 12 to 16 buildings and significant new energy infrastructure. The memorandum of understanding focuses on workforce development and union-backed apprenticeship programs, aiming for project stability.
Clint McCulloch, president of the Trades Council, emphasized the use of “skilled and trained workers” for the construction. However, details on job creation and unionization were not disclosed. The data center campus, expected to require 7,000 megawatts of power, is situated near the small town of Broadview, about 30 miles from Billings.
Travis Hall, a former adviser to Gov. Greg Gianforte, distributed Quantica’s release and lauded it as a “big win for Montana workers.” Meanwhile, the Montana Environmental Information Center expressed concerns regarding environmental impacts, questioning potential utility rate increases and community effects.
Anne Hedges from MEIC voiced skepticism about the project’s transparency, stating, “All you hear from these guys is PR… But the rubber hits the road when they put things on paper and we can hold them accountable for those things.” She highlighted the need for a balanced approach between unions and communities to avoid negative consequences.
Jason Small of the Montana AFL-CIO noted that while some unions support data centers, the organization itself has no official stance. Discussions on the topic are expected at the upcoming state Democratic Party convention in Billings.
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