"The Stratos artificial intelligence datacenter footprint will cover more than 40,000 acres (62 sq miles) over three sites in Box Elder county in north-western Utah. The facility will require about 9GW of power, which is more than the entire state of Utah currently consumes, and suck up a significant amount of water in an area that has been hit by severe drought in recent years."
"Environmentalists have warned that Stratos could imperil the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, including a critical migratory bird habitat, which is already under severe stress. The lake is shrinking due to water diverted for agriculture and the impact of the climate crisis, placing inhabitants of the nearby Salt Lake City at possible risk of toxic dust clouds as the lake bed dries up."
"At a time when the Great Salt Lake is already in crisis, approving a project that will consume water and energy at this scale is irresponsible and dangerous, said Franque Bains, director of the Sierra Club's Utah chapter. Utahns want to see the Great Salt Lake restored, not stripped."
"O'Leary has claimed Stratos will deliver thousands of jobs and help the US compete with China in the burgeoning AI industry. I don't think there's a bigger site in the world than this, O'Leary told Fox News. It shows the Chinese and the rest of the world we are not messing around, we are going to get this done, move it forward and provide the compute power to our AI compani"
A plan for a very large AI datacenter footprint in Box Elder County, Utah, has been approved by county commissioners despite thousands of resident objections. The project would cover more than 40,000 acres across three sites and require about 9GW of power, exceeding Utah’s current total electricity consumption. The facility would also consume significant water in a region experiencing severe drought, where water supplies are already stressed. Environmentalists warn the project could imperil the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, including migratory bird habitat, as the lake shrinks from agricultural diversions and climate impacts. As the lake bed dries, nearby communities could face toxic dust risks. The project is backed by venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary, who cites job creation and US competitiveness in AI.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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