Kevin O'Leary defends his Utah data center project: 'Think about the number of jobs'

"“When a group comes to me and says, 'Look, I have concerns about water, I have concerns about air, I have concerns about wildlife,' I totally get it,” O'Leary said. O'Leary said he graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in environmental studies. “It's understanding the concerns of people, but at the same time, think about the number of jobs,” O'Leary said in a post on X on Friday."

"“Data centers can use millions of gallons of water each day. Increased utility bills, noise, and a drop in quality of life are also points of contention.” O'Leary said the public misunderstands the impact of data centers because they were “poorly represented” in the past, and that the technology powering them has “advanced dramatically.”"

"O'Leary said, without providing evidence, that the criticism mainly came from “professional protesters” who were “paid by somebody.” O'Leary has clashed with residents in Box Elder County, Utah, over a new AI data center he's backing on a 40,000-acre campus. County commissioners approved the project, which is also backed by Utah's Military Installation Development Authority, on Monday despite the community opposition."

"He said data centers don't use as much water as they once did and can use a closed-loop system to avoid evaporation. Data centers can also rely on air-cooled turbines as an alternative to managing the temperature of the compu"

Americans often resist AI data centers in their communities, and the resistance is linked to misconceptions about environmental effects and local benefits. Concerns raised by residents include strain on water supplies, higher utility bills, noise, and reduced quality of life. A venture capitalist with an environmental studies background says these worries are understandable and that data centers have been poorly represented in the past. He claims technology has advanced, reducing water use compared with earlier systems. He also points to closed-loop water systems to limit evaporation and to air-cooled turbines as alternatives for managing computing temperatures. A proposed AI data center in Utah received county approval despite community opposition.

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