Massive Utah data centers are drawing scrutiny, but smaller ones have been around for decades
Utah has at least 48 operating data centers, while seven facilities under construction are expected to consume more energy than all existing centers combined. The growth of large AI-focused hyperscale facilities has prompted public concern about electricity, water use and environmental impacts, although operators of smaller colocation centers say their resource demands are more limited.
Utah’s data center industry includes at least 48 operational facilities and seven more under construction, according to research by Shon Hiatt for the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. The newer projects are substantially larger and are expected to use more energy than the state’s existing data centers combined, contributing to growing public scrutiny. A Utah State University survey found that nearly 76% of respondents oppose or strongly oppose new data centers, while 90% consider water consumption very important when evaluating projects.
Operators of smaller facilities described a distinction between traditional colocation centers and hyperscale campuses built to support artificial intelligence. Pete Ashdown, president and founder of XMission, said the company’s Salt Lake City facility uses a closed-loop cooling system and has a capacity of just under 1 megawatt. ValorC3 Vice President of Marketing Bob West and Facilities Management Director Chris Damrow said the company’s St. George facility has about 4 megawatts of capacity and uses refrigerant-based cooling, which reduces water use but can require more electricity. Ashdown questioned whether the demand for massive AI campuses is sustainable, while West said the industry must improve transparency and resource efficiency.