The biggest data center ever is becoming a huge problem in Utah
40,000 acres. 9GW of power. Utah just approved the biggest data center on Earth—and it's already a crisis.
Why it matters
The Stratos Project represents the scale of infrastructure required to power AI dominance, but exposes the real-world constraints (water, power, land, public opposition) that could bottleneck US AI capacity. This is the hidden cost of the compute race.
The key facts
7 to knowStratos Project: 40,000-acre data center in Hansel Valley, Box Elder County, Utah
9GW power consumption (nearly double Utah's peak electricity demand)
2x larger than Manhattan by area
Backed by Kevin O'Leary (Shark Tank investor/VC)
Approved by Box Elder County commissioners in May 2026
Flagged concerns: environmental damage, water supply strain, public backlash
Framed as establishing 'American AI dominance'
Go to the source
The Verge AItheverge.com
Publisher excerpt: 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…