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Google announced plans Thursday to invest $17 billion in its first data center in Wyoming, a major expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure that comes as communities elsewhere in the United States push back against the industry’s growing demands for electricity and water.
The facility will be built in Laramie County, home to the state capital, Cheyenne. Google said it would cover the data center’s full electricity costs as well as the expense of additional power infrastructure needed to support it.
Data center opposition grows
The announcement followed a midterm election in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress and voters broadly rejected or restricted data center development. Of 41 data center-related ballot measures, 40 resulted in opposition or limits, reflecting concerns that power-hungry facilities could strain electric grids and raise residents’ living costs.
Candidates critical of data center development also won races in states including Texas and Georgia. Wyoming, by contrast, remains strongly Republican. President Donald Trump received more than 70% of the state’s vote in the 2024 presidential election, and Republicans won the governorship and the state’s seats in the U.S. House and Senate in the midterms.
The political divide underscores a challenge for the AI boom: Companies are pouring money into computing infrastructure, but new projects could become harder to develop unless they address pressure on local power grids and environmental concerns.
Air cooling and dedicated power
Google said the Wyoming center would use air rather than water to cool its servers, reducing the facility’s water consumption. AI data centers require enormous amounts of electricity, prompting concerns that facilities drawing from existing grids could increase utility costs for nearby households.
Steve Walter, Google’s vice president for global infrastructure and energy, said the company would work with the community to develop the center responsibly and pay for both the power it consumes and the infrastructure required to supply it.
Part of the electricity will come from a 702-megawatt natural gas fuel cell project using Bloom Energy technology. The project’s developers plan to capture the resulting carbon dioxide and store it underground. Unlike gas turbines, fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction without combustion.
Fuel cells have become an increasingly attractive option for data center operators because natural gas turbines face multiyear order backlogs, while nuclear plants can take more than a decade to permit and build. Bloom Energy says its fuel cells can be installed in as little as 90 days.
20-year power agreement
American Electric Power, Tallgrass Energy, Black Hills Energy and Related Digital are participating in the energy project. AEP said last month that it would invest about $4 billion and signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Google.
Construction is expected to begin this year, with the power facilities targeted to become fully operational by the end of 2028. Google said it would also work with other energy companies to secure additional electricity.
The company expects the investment to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in property tax revenue for local governments and educational institutions. Google and its partners also plan to establish a community advisory council to hear and address residents’ concerns.
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