Decoder with Nilay Patel · Thursday, October 1, 2026
A massive AI data center project in Utah, spearheaded by Kevin O'Leary and known as Stratos or Wonder Valley, has been significantly stalled due to fierce local opposition. The project, which aimed to be the world's largest data center on 40,000 acres with 9 gigawatts of power, faced criticism over its process, environmental impact, and O'Leary's controversial remarks.
“The idea was to build the largest data center in the world: a 40,000-acre AI campus with more than 9 gigawatts of power, and more than double the average power usage of the entire state of Utah.”
“What Josh found throughout the course of his reporting was that the way this data center came together, how it was planned, how it was announced and approved, and how local residents were kept in the dark, ultimately created a political firestorm so severe it stopped Stratos in its tracks.”
“He did call all of these folks Chinese spies. He had to apologize for that. Fox News, where he said those remarks, they had to apologize on air for it. He posted an Instagram apology.”