Utah Residents Take Legal Action Against O'leary's Data Center Proposal

WHO:

NBC News - A nonprofit and five Utah residents are involved in a lawsuit against officials and a special entity overseeing Kevin O’Leary’s planned Stratos data center.

Gizmodo - Kevin O’Leary, also known as "Mr. Wonderful," is the individual behind the proposed data center project.

WHAT:

NBC News - The lawsuit has been filed against officials regarding the data center plan.

Gizmodo - O’Leary has agreed to scale back his data center plans by 75%, reducing the project size from 40,000 acres to about 10,000 acres.

Gizmodo - O’Leary committed to using industry-leading water-use technology and to dedicating any excess water from the project to the Great Salt Lake.

Gizmodo - Public polling by Gallup indicated that only 27% of Americans support the construction of data centers in their area.

WHERE:

NBC News - The data center is planned to be located in Utah.

Gizmodo - The specific location mentioned is Box Elder County, Utah.

WHEN:

Gizmodo - A letter from O’Leary to Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams is dated June 4.

WHY:

Gizmodo - The scaling back of the data center project follows public push-back and appeals from local politicians.

Gizmodo - O’Leary stated that much of the alarm surrounding the project was based on incorrect assumptions and facts about land use, water use, heat dispersion, air quality, and project timeline.

HOW:

Gizmodo - O’Leary expressed willingness to enter into a memo of understanding with the Utah Department of Natural Resources covering wildlife, agriculture, and open space.

(UPDATED June 5, 2026 23:22 UTC)

A nonprofit and five residents from Utah have filed a lawsuit against officials and the entity overseeing Kevin O’Leary's proposed Stratos data center in Box Elder County. In response to public concerns and local political appeals, O’Leary has agreed to significantly reduce the project's size from 40,000 acres to about 10,000 acres, while also committing to use advanced water-use technology and dedicate any excess water to the Great Salt Lake. O’Leary has expressed his willingness to enter into a memo of understanding with the Utah Department of Natural Resources to address issues related to wildlife, agriculture, and open space.