Utah Data Center

bonseff
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Frisco, TX, USA

Anyone following this story? 

A massive, recently approved AI data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, is slated to cover over 40,000 acres (roughly 62 square miles), making it one of the largest in the world. Backed by investors including Kevin O'Leary, this project is projected to consume 9 gigawatts, which is more than double the current total energy usage of the entire state of Utah.

 

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Joey Bridges
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Kingston, TN, USA
5/7/2026 6:58am

Hopefully on site power supply, and nothing draining our already burdened power grid.

Right now, in the recently demolished K25 plant in Oakridge Tennessee, they're geared up making the small nuclear reactors needed for powering these centers.

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1
5/7/2026 7:29am

Why do we need all these ai centers anyway?

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bonseff
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Frisco, TX, USA
5/7/2026 7:57am

Why do we need all these ai centers anyway?

From what I have been reading, it seems like similar to the old search engine days, the first one to get supremacy owns the market, like google. So it seems to be a giant race. Environmental impact is yet to be determined, but I year they will require a million gallons of water a day to cool. 

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lappedrider
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Tooele, UT, USA
5/7/2026 8:10am

We are right at the other end of the lake.  Doesn’t seem like anyone other than the Governor, and the project owners are in favor of this.  

We finally just got the magnesium plant closed, now this.  Considering you can almost walk to Antelope island, I would really like to know where the water is going to come from.  

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1

The Shop

SEEMEFIRST
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Arlington, TX, USA
5/7/2026 8:38am

Why do we need all these ai centers anyway?

bonseff wrote:
From what I have been reading, it seems like similar to the old search engine days, the first one to get supremacy owns the market, like...

From what I have been reading, it seems like similar to the old search engine days, the first one to get supremacy owns the market, like google. So it seems to be a giant race. Environmental impact is yet to be determined, but I year they will require a million gallons of water a day to cool. 

So they're on the leading edge of technology but have yet to figure out closed loop cooling systems?

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1
soggy
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USA
5/7/2026 8:39am
We are right at the other end of the lake.  Doesn’t seem like anyone other than the Governor, and the project owners are in favor of...

We are right at the other end of the lake.  Doesn’t seem like anyone other than the Governor, and the project owners are in favor of this.  

We finally just got the magnesium plant closed, now this.  Considering you can almost walk to Antelope island, I would really like to know where the water is going to come from.  

the recently discovered aquifer discovered under the GSL perhaps. 

So dumb in a state that's starving for water already.  but gov cox will just call on utahn's to 'pray for rain'.

Kevin o'leary is a scumbag.

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5
5/7/2026 9:03am

Article about the data center. https://www.deseret.com/business/2026/04/24/shark-tank-kevin-oleary-data-center-energy-development-utah-ai-artificial-intelligence/

The world sure is moving fast isn't it? Our every move is being tracked in one way or another. And what's this i am hearing about mandatory kill switches on all new cars built after 2027? Analytics performed on you to determine if you are fit enough for the car to start?

2
Kenny Banyan
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5/7/2026 9:27am

Another sign that we are living in the last days. 

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2
Homey55
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collinsville, OK, USA
5/7/2026 9:33am

Why do we need all these ai centers anyway?

That's the Trillion dollar question, isn't it? I've been scratching my head trying to figure it out. Every small town in the middle of nowhere is getting one, and Virginia will have 1,000's by the end of the year. Look North of Dulles International Airport on Google Earth and see all of the data centers there now.

lappedrider
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5/7/2026 9:33am
We are right at the other end of the lake.  Doesn’t seem like anyone other than the Governor, and the project owners are in favor of...

We are right at the other end of the lake.  Doesn’t seem like anyone other than the Governor, and the project owners are in favor of this.  

We finally just got the magnesium plant closed, now this.  Considering you can almost walk to Antelope island, I would really like to know where the water is going to come from.  

soggy wrote:
the recently discovered aquifer discovered under the GSL perhaps. So dumb in a state that's starving for water already.  but gov cox will just call on utahn's...

the recently discovered aquifer discovered under the GSL perhaps. 

So dumb in a state that's starving for water already.  but gov cox will just call on utahn's to 'pray for rain'.

Kevin o'leary is a scumbag.

I would be less suspicious if Kevin O’Leary wasn’t involved.  

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3
Chance1216
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Carson, CA, USA
5/7/2026 9:53am Edited Date/Time 5/7/2026 9:53am

Why do we need all these ai centers anyway?

Not that we need it but, I would say it’s for more surveillance. 

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Alex814
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5/7/2026 10:01am

And it won't be the last. These have to go somewhere, and as Joey said, we can't subsidize them with our grid (or taxes, like "green" energy).

Massive dollars are being invested in this, and unless you're willing to surrender your 401k that's reaping the benefits, don't fool yourself about your position on it. 

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Moto Nomad
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Grass Valley, CA, USA
5/7/2026 10:12am
Hopefully on site power supply, and nothing draining our already burdened power grid.Right now, in the recently demolished K25 plant in Oakridge Tennessee, they're geared up...

Hopefully on site power supply, and nothing draining our already burdened power grid.

Right now, in the recently demolished K25 plant in Oakridge Tennessee, they're geared up making the small nuclear reactors needed for powering these centers.

Utah has a law that data centers have to bring their own power. I think this one has on-site natural gas plants.

Looks like this project just withdrew its water permit application: Water rights request for massive Box Elder data center withdrawn after thousands of Utahns file protests

Joey Bridges
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Kingston, TN, USA
5/7/2026 10:45am
Alex814 wrote:
And it won't be the last. These have to go somewhere, and as Joey said, we can't subsidize them with our grid (or taxes, like "green"...

And it won't be the last. These have to go somewhere, and as Joey said, we can't subsidize them with our grid (or taxes, like "green" energy).

Massive dollars are being invested in this, and unless you're willing to surrender your 401k that's reaping the benefits, don't fool yourself about your position on it. 

We're in a tech race to stay in the lead of AI technology. 

Though initially I'd been reading about colder climes like Alaska being ideal for the locations, due to less energy needed for cooling.

 

Now if we could shitcan these H1whatever visas, and let our American workforce fill the needed positions once these things are up and running. 

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Joey Bridges
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Kingston, TN, USA
5/7/2026 10:50am
Hopefully on site power supply, and nothing draining our already burdened power grid.Right now, in the recently demolished K25 plant in Oakridge Tennessee, they're geared up...

Hopefully on site power supply, and nothing draining our already burdened power grid.

Right now, in the recently demolished K25 plant in Oakridge Tennessee, they're geared up making the small nuclear reactors needed for powering these centers.

Moto Nomad wrote:
Utah has a law that data centers have to bring their own power. I think this one has on-site natural gas plants.Looks like this project just...

Utah has a law that data centers have to bring their own power. I think this one has on-site natural gas plants.

Looks like this project just withdrew its water permit application: Water rights request for massive Box Elder data center withdrawn after thousands of Utahns file protests

Again, colder climes, and coastal/riverside locations with unlimited access to water are where these should be located. Much like nuclear reactors. 

Let's not kid ourselves, these centers are going to be built.

SKlein
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MN, MN, USA
5/7/2026 12:14pm

One of the biggest problems these DC's pose is they don't "create" a meaningful workforce for the amount of resources they eat up. Then there's other factors like major increases in compute costs for consumers as these companies buy out whatever resources are available (RAM, GPU, CPU). The AI race is going to hurt in more ways than we realize, and I'm not sure the benefits outweigh it all (for now).

Once a data center goes live, the permanent workforce shrinks dramatically. A facility that employed 2,000 construction workers might operate with just 30 to 150 full-time staff.

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byke
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5/7/2026 12:28pm

Kevin O'Leary says that you're only allowed to oppose the corporatocracy if you're a soulless dirty hippie being paid to do so. In normal times no professional anything anywhere would suggest something so gradeschool retard kind of stupid, but here we are.

https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-oleary-blames-paid-activists-for-…

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APLMAN99
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Tualatin, OR, USA
Fantasy
5/7/2026 5:19pm

ICE should be deporting the likes of Kevin O’Leary……

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freeh
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Lehi, UT, USA
5/7/2026 6:00pm

I absolutely don't trust that these data centers won't be user for nefarious reasons.  As others have mentioned,  all yhe surveillance,  new car tech and such only limit freedoms.   Fuck all this advanced technology that will minimally at best help humanity,  but are much more likely to inhibit freedoms. 

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byke
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5/7/2026 6:43pm

Well if people vote Democrat or Republican, they're voting for it. Folks can downvote all they want because they're butthurt that their party sucks and they can get all teary eyed in their panties when people say it aloud, but it's an inescapable fact.

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Brad460
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Fantasy
5/7/2026 6:53pm Edited Date/Time 5/7/2026 6:56pm

Kevin is looking at buying a shit ton of natural gas engine generators….

Data centers - “storage, AI inference and AI learning”. A simple AI search uses 50x + more “power” than a google search. 

AI learning creates transient loads which the grid can’t handle…turbines struggle (causes vibrations). Think about that..

Demand for power for the past 20 years has been flat..until now..demand will be increasing at an unbelievable rate. Fossil fuels are the only future..exciting times. Lots of money to be made investing in the right companies..

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5/8/2026 3:21am
bonseff wrote:
Anyone following this story? A massive, recently approved AI data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, is slated to cover over 40,000 acres (roughly 62 square...

Anyone following this story? 

A massive, recently approved AI data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, is slated to cover over 40,000 acres (roughly 62 square miles), making it one of the largest in the world. Backed by investors including Kevin O'Leary, this project is projected to consume 9 gigawatts, which is more than double the current total energy usage of the entire state of Utah.

 

The most sad part of all of this is we as individuals have no control 

History continues to repeat. The Sahara was forest until elites used their slaves to turn it to desert

Addiction to power and a small group of psychopaths in control who believe they are gods

Technology will not solve the problems technology has created 

There is a reason no intelligent life has been found in the universe. A Darwinian bottleneck where might is no longer right

Gaia (earth) is a self regulating organism which has learned from mistakes over millennia to maintain stability. Humanity is quickly forcing perturbation which will drive it to another stable state more quickly than Gaia can react. At worst, just another frozen or superheated planet 

At best she (Gaia) will scratch the virus of humanity 

AI? Greedy billionaires looking for the next big profit. Could be the last

Appalling. Heart breaking. Gob smacking stupidity.

Intelligent children have lost hope. Child suicide is endemic

What have we done 

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Alex814
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Location
USA
5/8/2026 8:56am
bonseff wrote:
Anyone following this story? A massive, recently approved AI data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, is slated to cover over 40,000 acres (roughly 62 square...

Anyone following this story? 

A massive, recently approved AI data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, is slated to cover over 40,000 acres (roughly 62 square miles), making it one of the largest in the world. Backed by investors including Kevin O'Leary, this project is projected to consume 9 gigawatts, which is more than double the current total energy usage of the entire state of Utah.

 

The most sad part of all of this is we as individuals have no control History continues to repeat. The Sahara was forest until elites used their...

The most sad part of all of this is we as individuals have no control 

History continues to repeat. The Sahara was forest until elites used their slaves to turn it to desert

Addiction to power and a small group of psychopaths in control who believe they are gods

Technology will not solve the problems technology has created 

There is a reason no intelligent life has been found in the universe. A Darwinian bottleneck where might is no longer right

Gaia (earth) is a self regulating organism which has learned from mistakes over millennia to maintain stability. Humanity is quickly forcing perturbation which will drive it to another stable state more quickly than Gaia can react. At worst, just another frozen or superheated planet 

At best she (Gaia) will scratch the virus of humanity 

AI? Greedy billionaires looking for the next big profit. Could be the last

Appalling. Heart breaking. Gob smacking stupidity.

Intelligent children have lost hope. Child suicide is endemic

What have we done 

Donate all of your belongings and go live with a tribe in the Amazon.

1
cslacker
Posts
379
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Location
Glendale, AZ, USA
5/8/2026 9:21am
byke wrote:
Well if people vote Democrat or Republican, they're voting for it. Folks can downvote all they want because they're butthurt that their party sucks and they...

Well if people vote Democrat or Republican, they're voting for it. Folks can downvote all they want because they're butthurt that their party sucks and they can get all teary eyed in their panties when people say it aloud, but it's an inescapable fact.

So what do you suggest?  Libertarian?  The Libertarian party not only backs these free-market data centers but they also want less or no regulations put on them.  That and the open borders issue...

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Dudley
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Location
Denver, CO, USA
5/8/2026 11:16am

Power and water, lots of both. I think this summer people are going to face harsh reality that water supply can’t support growth in the desert west. I remember an oil exec 20 years ago saying water rights are the future. 

2
byke
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Location
Auburn, CA, USA
5/8/2026 11:36am
byke wrote:
Well if people vote Democrat or Republican, they're voting for it. Folks can downvote all they want because they're butthurt that their party sucks and they...

Well if people vote Democrat or Republican, they're voting for it. Folks can downvote all they want because they're butthurt that their party sucks and they can get all teary eyed in their panties when people say it aloud, but it's an inescapable fact.

cslacker wrote:
So what do you suggest?  Libertarian?  The Libertarian party not only backs these free-market data centers but they also want less or no regulations put on...

So what do you suggest?  Libertarian?  The Libertarian party not only backs these free-market data centers but they also want less or no regulations put on them.  That and the open borders issue...

I think the whole, "if we could just find the right guy..." thing is the seed they plant to keep people engaged and that's all that's needed, because the masses either lean right or left, so if you lean right or left and also feel the need to participate, then they win, game over, they got you. My opinion is, don't vote, don't participate, because otherwise everyone is being sucked into supporting the things they claim to be against, which makes them liars. Don't let someone else's dishonesty turn into your dishonesty, because making the masses worse isn't going to somehow make the masses better. Exactly how many times do we need to be fooled before something changes? Anyway, my thought is that maybe from a mass lack of participation, somehow something better may come from it, like if we don't like new car offerings and nobody buys any of them, maybe we'll get something different. 

2
2
Kenny Banyan
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4177
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Location
Seattle, WA, USA
5/8/2026 11:55am
byke wrote:
Well if people vote Democrat or Republican, they're voting for it. Folks can downvote all they want because they're butthurt that their party sucks and they...

Well if people vote Democrat or Republican, they're voting for it. Folks can downvote all they want because they're butthurt that their party sucks and they can get all teary eyed in their panties when people say it aloud, but it's an inescapable fact.

cslacker wrote:
So what do you suggest?  Libertarian?  The Libertarian party not only backs these free-market data centers but they also want less or no regulations put on...

So what do you suggest?  Libertarian?  The Libertarian party not only backs these free-market data centers but they also want less or no regulations put on them.  That and the open borders issue...

byke wrote:
I think the whole, "if we could just find the right guy..." thing is the seed they plant to keep people engaged and that's all that's...

I think the whole, "if we could just find the right guy..." thing is the seed they plant to keep people engaged and that's all that's needed, because the masses either lean right or left, so if you lean right or left and also feel the need to participate, then they win, game over, they got you. My opinion is, don't vote, don't participate, because otherwise everyone is being sucked into supporting the things they claim to be against, which makes them liars. Don't let someone else's dishonesty turn into your dishonesty, because making the masses worse isn't going to somehow make the masses better. Exactly how many times do we need to be fooled before something changes? Anyway, my thought is that maybe from a mass lack of participation, somehow something better may come from it, like if we don't like new car offerings and nobody buys any of them, maybe we'll get something different. 

Interesting take ……💯

1
bonseff
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2056
Joined
3/29/2011
Location
Frisco, TX, USA
5/8/2026 6:10pm
image 2983

  

4
1
5/10/2026 3:03am
bonseff wrote:
Anyone following this story? A massive, recently approved AI data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, is slated to cover over 40,000 acres (roughly 62 square...

Anyone following this story? 

A massive, recently approved AI data center project in Box Elder County, Utah, is slated to cover over 40,000 acres (roughly 62 square miles), making it one of the largest in the world. Backed by investors including Kevin O'Leary, this project is projected to consume 9 gigawatts, which is more than double the current total energy usage of the entire state of Utah.

 

The most sad part of all of this is we as individuals have no control History continues to repeat. The Sahara was forest until elites used their...

The most sad part of all of this is we as individuals have no control 

History continues to repeat. The Sahara was forest until elites used their slaves to turn it to desert

Addiction to power and a small group of psychopaths in control who believe they are gods

Technology will not solve the problems technology has created 

There is a reason no intelligent life has been found in the universe. A Darwinian bottleneck where might is no longer right

Gaia (earth) is a self regulating organism which has learned from mistakes over millennia to maintain stability. Humanity is quickly forcing perturbation which will drive it to another stable state more quickly than Gaia can react. At worst, just another frozen or superheated planet 

At best she (Gaia) will scratch the virus of humanity 

AI? Greedy billionaires looking for the next big profit. Could be the last

Appalling. Heart breaking. Gob smacking stupidity.

Intelligent children have lost hope. Child suicide is endemic

What have we done 

Alex814 wrote:

Donate all of your belongings and go live with a tribe in the Amazon.

Donate all of your belongings and go live at Chernobyl 

1
3
Nairb#70
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3927
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Location
Ivoryton, CT, USA
5/10/2026 8:11am

We are so phucked!!!

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