Box Elder County commissioners approved Kevin O’Leary’s 9GW Stratos AI campus in Utah on May 4, amid loud public outcry from hundreds of local residents.
summary
- Kevin O’Leary’s Stratus Project, a 40,000-acre artificial intelligence campus in Utah, won county approval on May 4 despite strong community opposition over water, energy and environmental concerns.
- The campus will generate up to 9 gigawatts when fully built out, more than double Utah’s current total electricity consumption, supported by an on-site natural gas pipeline.
- O’Leary framed the project as a direct response to China’s construction of 400 gigawatts of AI-equipped power over the past two years, calling it a national security priority.
Utah’s Box Elder County commissioners voted unanimously on May 4 to approve the Stratos AI Campus powered by Kevin O’Leary Digital, the infrastructure arm of O’Leary Ventures.
The approval came amid objections from hundreds of residents who chanted “Shame!” When the vote was announced those who said they were given little time to voice their concerns before the decision.
The campus, which was designated through the Utah Military Facilities Development Authority, spans more than 40,000 acres and will have 9 gigawatts of generating capacity when construction is complete.
The first phase requires about 3 gigawatts. Kevin O’Leary He said The site will be powered entirely by Fox Business with an on-site connection to the Ruby Pipeline, a 680-mile natural gas line that crosses northern Utah, rather than drawing from the state grid.
China and the stated justification
O’Leary made the framework of the competition clear. “China has built 400 gigawatts of new capacity over the past 24 months, most of which is used to power AI data centers,” he added. He saidaccording to the Salt Lake Tribune. “We are in a race with them.” He described the project as providing computing power to US artificial intelligence companies and national defense.
Utah’s MIDA reduced Stratus’ energy use tax from 6% to 0.5% and agreed to withhold 80% of property tax revenues to attract the project. Environmental critics have raised concerns about water use near the already depleted Salt Lake and potential changes in the weather pattern.
The facility will use closed-loop water recycling and liquid air cooling, O’Leary said. The name of any ultra-large tenant has not been announced. Initial delivery is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026, with full construction extending over approximately ten years across multiple phases.
