How Utah locals fought Kevin O’Leary’s AI data center
Local residents in Box Elder County, Utah, organized against Kevin O’Leary’s proposed Stratos, or Wonder Valley, AI data center campus. The planned 40,000-acre, 9-gigawatt project faced backlash over secrecy, water and power demands, tax breaks, and environmental concerns, leaving it paused while litigation over a referendum proceeds.
Kevin O’Leary’s proposed Stratos data center, marketed as Wonder Valley, was planned as a 40,000-acre AI campus in Utah with nine gigawatts of power capacity. The project moved through the state-backed Military Installation Development Authority with limited public involvement, and Box Elder County officials said they were informed only shortly before the development became public.
Residents organized protests and a broad opposition campaign, citing the project’s size, potential effects on the Great Salt Lake and regional water supplies, electricity needs, tax incentives, and the lack of transparency. The backlash united conservative and progressive groups and became a major issue in Utah politics, contributing to losses by several officials, including MIDA chair and former Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams.
Activists filed a referendum seeking to repeal the county’s consent, but the county rejected it and the matter is now being litigated. The project has not been formally killed, but its momentum has stalled and it faces continued scrutiny from local officials, lawmakers, regulators, and residents. O’Leary has also faced a defamation lawsuit after calling project critics Chinese spies, remarks that prompted apologies from him and Fox News.