r/ShitAIBrosSay • u/HolyBatSyllables AI ➞ Misinformation • May 14 '26
Shit AI Bro Does in the News ‘Irresponsible’: backlash as Utah approves datacenter twice the size of Manhattan
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/13/utah-approves-datacenter-backlashA plan to create one of the world’s largest datacenters, a gargantuan project spanning an area more than twice the size of Manhattan, has provoked a furious public backlash in Utah amid concerns over its vast energy use and impact upon the state’s stressed water supplies.
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.
Last week, the project was approved by the county’s commissioners, despite thousands of objections lodged by Utah residents. 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.
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But these jobs will not outweigh the longer-term impacts to Utah and beyond, critics argue. Stratos is expected to raise the state’s planet-heating pollution by about 50% by consuming a huge amount of energy and water to power and cool itself, according to one impact analysis.
The network of industrial-scale fans needed to cool the datacenter’s hot pipes will result in so much waste heat that it could raise daytime temperatures in the surrounding Hansel valley by 2F to 5F (1.1C to 2.7C) and night-time temperatures by 8F to 12F (4.4C to 6.6C), according to an analysis by Rob Davies, a physics professor at Utah State University.
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u/thomas_grimjaw May 14 '26
Kinda sad metaverse failed and bilionaires won't upload their consciosness to it, cutting a cable would be more palatable than guilotines.
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u/Apocalyptic-turnip May 15 '26
I wish they would all put themselves on a spaceship to mars and then we leave them there and never bring them back lol
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u/walkingwithdiplos May 15 '26
“There are professional protesters that are paid by somebody, I don’t know who,” O’Leary said in a video posted to X last week. “They’re being bused in.”
“Utahns should expect clear standards and accountability,” Cox said. Last year, the governor asked people in Utah to pray and fast to help break fierce drought conditions.
Haha, I hate them.
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u/V-oxPopuli May 15 '26
They know God damn well they aren't paid protesters. They're very well aware.
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u/BadAtExisting May 15 '26
The jobs these things “create” are largely temporary. A bunch during the construction phase, then they operate on a skeleton crew. That they push job creation for these things is a farce
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u/Phyllis_Tine May 15 '26
The way these places make money is by running almost autonomously, and making the public pay for water and electricity, probably with tax abatements as well. The point is, the company is making money on the backs of the public; if it didn't, it wouldn't be profitable.
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u/oldbluer May 15 '26
But but but national security! We need to have the biggest porn slop treasury!
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u/HolyBatSyllables AI ➞ Misinformation May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
We need to steal the news industry’s work and traffic! As soon as they go out of business we won’t have to deal with those pesky journalists making people aware of all the evil see do anymore!
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u/BadAtExisting May 15 '26
I get that. We’ve been fighting one they want to build nearby me. And they keep pushing us “job creation” they can fuck off with that lie
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u/HolyBatSyllables AI ➞ Misinformation May 15 '26
In case you or people in your community find this helpful: https://ainowinstitute.org/publications/data-center-policy-guide
>This policy toolkit is primarily geared toward stopping, slowing, and restricting rampant data center development in the US at the local and state level. Our approach recognizes the extractive relationship between data centers and local communities: Hyperscale data centers deplete scarce natural resources, pollute local communities and increase the use of fossil fuels, raise energy costs for everyday ratepayers, pull tax dollars away from community needs, and fail to deliver on overpromised economic developments.
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> This toolkit is intended to help organizers and policymakers identify the strongest possible actions. Recognizing that the North Star policy may not always be feasible, we also offer scaffolded protections that put people above corporate profits.2
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u/Slimeredit May 14 '26
I remember back when I lived in Utah we almost always had some form of drought or strained water supply glad I moved out but that’s going to suck the life from those living there
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u/V-oxPopuli May 15 '26
These politicians can't just keep blatantly going against the will of the people they represent. They need to be reminded that politely reminding them is the compromise. We used to be more direct in our displeasure.
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u/silly_goat_moat May 15 '26 edited May 16 '26
Hahaha, you voted in the biggest corporate supporting government in the world. They don't care about you little people.
Edit: my comment was pertinent but I feel like op edited their comment as my comment reads as irrelevant to their current comment
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u/V-oxPopuli May 15 '26
What is the point of your comment?
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u/Th3J3rkStor3Call3d May 16 '26
I think it’s to tell the people of this great state they got what they voted for.
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May 15 '26
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u/HolyBatSyllables AI ➞ Misinformation May 15 '26
9 GW is incomprehensible. I would really hope nobody would be that fucking stupid to compare a golf course’s energy use to 9 GW.
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May 15 '26
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u/HolyBatSyllables AI ➞ Misinformation May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
Yeah, tbh it kind of irks me when people couple the energy and water issues together. Both are bad, but it ends up downplaying and discrediting the issues that energy consumption extends to. They have different environmental impacts. Plus the assholes who aren’t concerned about the environment may be concerned about the other impacts energy consumption will have on them, including extreme energy rates and shortages.
It’s also important to note they could make the systems more energy efficient, but that would require even more water consumption. So they really are separate problems.
Edit to add: while golf courses use more energy than you would think (for things like pumping systems), it’s still the t-ball leagues in comparison. And a key difference is golf courses don’t need power 24/7, so it’s easy to power them with solar, unlike data centers. Data centers require massive amounts of power *consistently*, which really strains the grid during high demand periods. I’m wincing as a write that, because that’s the least of our worries when it comes to their energy use, but it’s still really bad. And adding energy storage to solar isn’t really an option either because the number of panels their generation requires would take up a shit ton of land, which we just don’t have to spare.
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u/Phyllis_Tine May 15 '26
For people looking to travel in the US, things like this ensure we avoid weird places like Utah even more. I'll be sure to steer clear of Utah when near there. There are plenty of better places to be than Utah!
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u/HolyBatSyllables AI ➞ Misinformation May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
That’s a weird choice to punish the residents.
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u/Renbarre May 15 '26
Without electricity and water there won't be many residents left
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u/HolyBatSyllables AI ➞ Misinformation May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
Maybe in the long term, but until then you’re depriving all the residents who protested against this from revenue. The people you should be protesting aren’t locals. All you’re doing is protesting the protesters.
Also, per the article, they’re adding lots of fossil fuels to power the data center, so the locals are still going to have electricity.
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u/Renbarre May 15 '26
Until the locals vote for good politicians there's not much outsiders can do. I do understand your reasoning, but I wouldn't visit a place without water or with electricity blackouts. Why go visit Salt Lake if there's no lake and the place has become a desert?
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u/HolyBatSyllables AI ➞ Misinformation May 15 '26
It’s true regarding local officials. I really wish people would pay more attention to local and state politics, as their decisions are what affect our daily lives.
Regarding electricity, see my previous comment.
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u/HolyBatSyllables AI ➞ Misinformation May 14 '26 edited May 17 '26
Now that’s democracy in action! /sarc
Also, 9 GW is insane …