‘Irresponsible’: backlash as Utah approves datacenter twice the size of Manhattan

Facility would require power than entire state uses and suck up vast amount of water in drought-stricken area A plan to create one of the world’s largest datacenters, a gargantuan project spanning an area 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 than 40,000 acres (62 sq miles) over three sites in Box Elder county in north-western Utah.