Box Elder County approves Kevin O’Leary’s 9GW AI campus despite local protests

Box Elder County commissioners in Utah approved Kevin O’Leary’s 40,000-acre Stratos AI campus project on May 4, despite protests from hundreds of residents concerned about water, energy, and environmental impacts. The campus will generate up to 9 gigawatts of power, more than twice Utah’s current electricity use, powered by an on-site natural gas pipeline. O’Leary framed the project as a national security effort to compete with China’s rapid AI power expansion. The project is expected to begin partial operation by late 2026 and will develop over about ten years in phases, with tax incentives from Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority.