Kevin O'Leary dismisses Utah data center critics and alleges AI amplification
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · May 5
Kevin O'Leary dismisses Utah data center critics and alleges AI amplification
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · May 5
Utah's MIDA board unanimously approved the 40,000-acre Box Elder County Stratos project on Monday despite hundreds of protesters, with full build-out projected over 10 years.
Project documents say the multibillion-dollar facility will use about 9 gigawatts, more than twice Utah's current statewide energy consumption, drawing concerns over air, water, heat and noise.
O'Leary said most protesters were non-local and some were paid, while promoting air-cooling, batteries and some renewables, though the project is slated to use natural gas from the Ruby Pipeline.
Is O'Leary's 9GW Utah data center a national security win or a colossal gamble with the state's air and water?
As AI's energy thirst grows, are corporate climate pledges the first casualty in the race for technological supremacy?