A large AI data center planned for Utah by entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary, the Stratos Project, has cut its target area in half from an initial roughly 40,000 acres following mounting local opposition. O'Leary claims the Chinese government is behind the protests, and the dispute over the project continues.
Box Elder County, Utah · Stratos Project
Mr. Wonderful's $100B AI Data Center Meets a Wall of Local Opposition
Kevin O'Leary's plan for one of America's largest AI campuses — up to 9 GW across the Hansel Valley — now faces strong environmental pushback, prompting a signal to cut the project area roughly in half.
9 GW
Targeted power capacity, self-supplied off-grid
$35–100B
Estimated total investment
~2,000
Permanent jobs projected at full operation
~60
Buildings in the initial 10,000-acre block
Scaled Back Under Pressure
Project area, in acres — O'Leary signaled a cut to roughly half, with half of that set aside as open space.
20,000
Reduced (½ open space)
Where Utah Residents Stand
Poll of Utah residents on the data center plan.
53%
Opposed(41% strongly)
Nationally, some surveys show nearly 70% against new data centers built near homes.
Backers Argue
~2,000 jobs and ~$108M in projected annual county tax revenue
Off-grid power and closed-loop, direct-to-chip cooling
National-security need to keep pace with China in AI
Opponents Cite
Power, water use, emissions, noise and land use
Impact on the Great Salt Lake area
Reporting finds the movement largely organic and local
Disputed Claim
O'Leary calls the opposition a foreign PR operation — an "irrefutable fact." Independent reporting found little concrete evidence, describing it instead as an organic movement of local residents.
The facility is not yet built — no operational evaluation exists, approval is still advancing, and its scale and terms remain subject to change. Phase 1 first-online target: Q4 2028 (not finalized).
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