China's Role in Data Center Controversy Gains Attention From Elites
WHO:
NPR - Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated, "It's not organic and local, some of this is foreign-sourced dark money."
Fortune - Kevin O'Leary claimed he reviewed public IRS tax filings indicating that Neville Roy Singham's Shanghai-based connections funded anti-data center organizations.
NPR - Interior Secretary Doug Burgum expressed dismay at local opposition to data centers in America.
NPR - Fund manager Gavin Baker discussed foreign influence, specifically from China, on the podcast All-In.
NPR - Kevin O'Leary, a Canadian multimillionaire and Shark Tank star, is an investor in a data center project in Utah.
NPR - Gabi Finlayson, a senior partner at Elevate Strategies, was named by O'Leary in connection with anti-data center efforts.
NPR - Elizabeth Hutchings, communications director at Alliance for a Better Utah, responded to O'Leary's claims.
Fortune - Neville Roy Singham, a left-wing activist, was mentioned in connection with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
WHAT:
Fortune - A recent poll from Heatmap Pro found that seven in ten Americans now oppose data centers being built near their homes.
Fortune - O'Leary announced that the 40,000-acre data center footprint would be slashed in half due to "alarm surrounding this project."
NPR - A recent Gallup poll found that 71% of Americans somewhat or strongly opposed construction of data centers in their communities.
NPR - O'Leary claimed to have received "tens of thousands" of comments from the same batch of IP addresses opposing data centers.
Fortune - O'Leary's data center project in Utah is projected to cost $100 billion and would use more electricity than the entire state does annually.
Fortune - O'Leary announced that the data center footprint would be reduced by half due to public concern.
NPR - Alliance for a Better Utah reported revenue of around $200,000 in 2024.
WHERE:
NPR - The data center project is located in Utah, specifically in Box Elder County.
NPR - Elevate Strategies is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
WHEN:
NPR - The project was pushed through the permitting process after local planning council approval in early May.
Fortune - O'Leary's announcement to reduce the data center footprint occurred last week.
WHY:
Fortune - Burgum claimed, "Any place that’s trying to build data centers is getting bombarded with foreign-directed propaganda to try to block these from being built."
NPR - Burgum claimed that local opposition to data centers is influenced by "foreign-sourced dark money."
Fortune - O'Leary suggested that there is a "PR war" being waged against data centers, attributing it to foreign agents.
HOW:
NPR - OpenAI stated that the accounts generating anti-data center content were probably run by a private Chinese technology firm working for "provincial-level government clients" in China.
NPR - OpenAI banned a cluster of likely Chinese accounts that generated anti-data center content.
NPR - O'Leary claimed to have conducted a deep investigation into IP addresses linked to anti-data center comments.
(UPDATED June 11, 2026 01:45 UTC)
In a striking development, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum highlighted concerns over foreign influence, stating that some opposition to data centers is driven by "foreign-sourced dark money." This comes as a recent poll revealed that seven in ten Americans now oppose data centers being built near their homes, prompting Kevin O'Leary to announce a significant reduction in the planned data center footprint, cutting it from 40,000 acres to just 20,000. Burgum further noted that areas attempting to establish data centers are facing intense foreign-directed propaganda, with OpenAI suggesting that the anti-data center content may be linked to a private Chinese technology firm working for local government clients in China.
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(UPDATED June 10, 2026 23:41 UTC)
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum expressed his dismay over local opposition to data centers in America, which he claims is influenced by foreign-sourced dark money. Meanwhile, Canadian multimillionaire Kevin O'Leary, who is investing in a $100 billion data center project in Utah, announced a reduction of the project's footprint by half in response to public concern, after claiming to have received tens of thousands of anti-data center comments from the same IP addresses. In related discussions, fund manager Gavin Baker highlighted foreign influence from China, while O'Leary's project continues to face scrutiny amid a reported PR war against data centers.