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Residents furious as Utah approves datacenter twice the size of Manhattan

‘Irresponsible’: backlash as Utah approves datacenter twice the size of Manhattan

theguardian.com

May 13, 2026

5 min read

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46/100

Summary

Utah has approved the construction of a datacenter that will span over 40,000 acres, more than twice the size of Manhattan. The facility, known as Stratos, will require approximately 9GW of power, raising concerns about its energy consumption and impact on local water supplies.

Key Takeaways

Utah has approved the construction of a datacenter spanning over 40,000 acres, more than twice the size of Manhattan, despite significant public backlash.
The Stratos datacenter will require approximately 9GW of power, exceeding the total energy consumption of the entire state of Utah.
Environmentalists warn that the project could exacerbate the crisis of the Great Salt Lake, impacting its ecosystem and potentially increasing pollution by 50%.
The datacenter's cooling systems are projected to raise local daytime temperatures by 2°F to 5°F and nighttime temperatures by 8°F to 12°F.

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Community Sentiment

Negative

Concerns

The proposed data center's power consumption of 9GW exceeds the entire State of Utah's current usage, raising significant concerns about energy sustainability.
Residents are rightly worried about the environmental impact, including water consumption and pollution, especially in a drought-stricken area.
There are fears that this project is primarily designed to serve military interests, which could lead to increased surveillance and manipulation of citizens through AI.
The scale of the data center, being twice the size of Manhattan, evokes fears of dystopian scenarios, highlighting the potential for unchecked AI development.