Kevin O’Leary Utah data centre dey face backlash over AI power and China claims

Kevin O’Leary ("Mr. Wonderful" for Shark Tank) dey push project wey dem call Stratos/Wonder Valley: na natural gas-powered data center campus for Box Elder County, Utah, wey aim to meet the rising demand for AI compute. Di plan fit scale reach 40,000 acres and up to 9 GW power capacity. Even though dem talk say di project dey focus on US competitiveness and "national security" because of China, local people dey oppose am. Over 3,000 public comments dem file, and polling show say 53% of Utah residents no support the data center. Residents and one lawsuit talk say dem fear environmental damage to the Great Salt Lake and nearby natural resources. O’Leary dey dismiss some part of the resistance as misinformation and dey claim say some protest groups collect funding from Chinese interests. Local organizers deny those claims, talk say their concerns na valid environmental and quality-of-life matters. Box Elder County approve the first phase in May 2026. That stage go provide 1.5 GW power, and O’Leary target say e go dey online in about two years. But the lawsuit never settle yet, and regulators fit put extra hurdles as the project expand. For crypto and tech traders, the main signal be say AI data center build-outs fit trigger non-financial risks—community opposition and permitting delays—that standard financial models fit no show. Using natural gas for power fit also add regulatory and reputational risk as climate scrutiny increase.