Box Elder County Approves 40,000-Acre Stratos AI Data Center as 9-Gigawatt Compute Race Escalates
Updated
Updated · O'Reilly Media · May 22
Box Elder County Approves 40,000-Acre Stratos AI Data Center as 9-Gigawatt Compute Race Escalates
4 articles · Updated · O'Reilly Media · May 22
Box Elder County approved the Stratos project in Utah, a 40,000-acre AI data center backed by Kevin O’Leary and planned to reach 9 gigawatts at full buildout.
9 gigawatts equals roughly nine commercial nuclear reactors, underscoring how developers are betting that AI model capability will keep scaling and justify years of infrastructure spending.
The Utah site would span more than twice Manhattan’s footprint and, like other recent AI power deals, won approval despite local protests.
Anthropic’s recent infrastructure moves show the same trend: it leased xAI’s 200,000-GPU, 300-megawatt Colossus 1 cluster and expanded a separate Google-Broadcom capacity deal to 3.5 gigawatts coming online in 2027.
AI data centers now rival nuclear reactors in power demand. Is this massive environmental cost the only path to progress?
If an AI's 'harness' is more vital than its model, is the escalating multi-trillion dollar compute race a strategic misstep?
As AI uncovers countless security flaws, can our defenses evolve fast enough to prevent a catastrophic 'vulnerability tsunami'?
40,000 Acres of AI: Utah’s Stratos Data Center Sparks Referendum, Environmental Alarm, and National Debate
Overview
On May 4, 2026, Box Elder County commissioners approved the massive 40,000-acre Stratos Project data center in Hansel Valley, immediately sparking strong public and political backlash. Experts warned about serious environmental risks and water shortages, fueling fierce opposition and leading thousands of Utahns to protest. In response, the Box Elder Accountability Referendum group quickly filed to initiate a referendum, aiming to reverse the decision. To put the Stratos Project to a public vote in November, the group must gather 5,422 signatures from county voters within 45 days, highlighting the intense local pushback and the community’s demand for a say in the project’s future.