On May 4, Box Elder County commissioners gave the green light to Kevin O’Leary’s ambitious Stratos AI campus in Utah, a decision met with significant public outcry. The project, spanning over 40,000 acres, is designed to generate up to 9 gigawatts of power at full capacity—more than double Utah’s current electricity consumption. Despite hundreds of residents voicing their opposition, the approval was unanimous.
O’Leary has positioned Stratos as a direct response to China’s rapid expansion of AI infrastructure, noting that China has built 400 gigawatts of new power in the last two years, much of it for AI data centers. He argues that the United States is in a race with China and that Stratos will provide essential compute power for national defense and domestic AI companies.
The campus will be powered exclusively by an on-site connection to the Ruby Pipeline, a natural gas line spanning 680 miles, avoiding reliance on the state grid. Phase one aims for about 3 gigawatts, with initial delivery expected in the fourth quarter of 2026 and full buildout taking around ten years.
Critics, however, have raised concerns about environmental impacts, including water usage near the shrinking Great Salt Lake and potential changes to local weather patterns. O’Leary has countered that the facility will employ closed-loop water recycling and air-liquid cooling systems. The project also received tax incentives through Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority, including a reduction in energy use tax from 6% to 0.5% and an 80% rebate on property tax revenue.
No major tenant has been publicly named yet, leaving questions about the campus’s immediate viability. The controversy highlights the tension between rapid technological advancement and community environmental concerns.