The Shark Tank investor said on X that his 40,000-acre Stratos Project in Box Elder County would create jobs and operate transparently despite local opposition.
He argued newer data centres use less water through closed-loop systems and air cooling, while county commissioners approved the project with backing from Utah's Military Installation Development Authority.
Residents fear water strain, higher bills, noise and lower quality of life; a nearby water-diversion application was rescinded after thousands of Utah complaints, reflecting wider US resistance to AI data centres.
Can a 'green' AI data center truly run on a massive new natural gas plant?
Is the AI boom on a collision course with American communities?