The biggest data center ever is becoming a huge problem in Utah

Utah may host one of the world’s most colossal data centers, despite stark warnings from experts and fierce public backlash. Earlier this month, commissioners in Box Elder County signed off on the Stratos Project: a 40,000-acre data center stretching across the county’s Hansel Valley. It’s supposed to establish American AI dominance, but potentially at the expense of environmental damage and a strain on already overtaxed water supplies. The Stratos Project, backed by Shark Tank investor and venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary, is projected to be more than twice the size of Manhattan and consume 9GW of power — almost double the state’s peak electricity demand in 2025. Its first phase is projected to cost more than $4 billion, according to Utah Money Watch. O’Leary positions it as a way for the US to become an AI superpower and bolster national defense by serving the government and “tech firm contractors.” “It shows the Chinese and the rest of the world we are not messing around,” he said …