Google has officially taken over an unfinished data center project located in southeastern Wyoming, purchasing the site from the Denver-based developer Crusoe. Crusoe, an eight-year-old firm recently valued at $30.9 billion, originally announced the infrastructure undertaking last year alongside the Blackstone-backed company Tallgrass, with ambitious initial plans to scale the power capacity up to 10 gigawatts. Although Crusoe had initially sought Google as a client for the initiative, the tech giant reportedly raised significant concerns regarding the construction timeline and overall costs under Crusoe's management.
While financial terms regarding the site acquisition were not disclosed by Google, the tech titan announced a massive $17 billion investment plan to build out the data center campus. The transition underscores the inherent difficulties independent developers face when attempting to deliver large-scale infrastructure projects within strict budgetary limits and tight schedules, compounded by hurdles in securing necessary equipment and power, as well as rising local community resistance. Despite taking over the Wyoming facility, Google maintains business ties with Crusoe, as the developer is simultaneously building another data center for Google near Amarillo, Texas.
Bloomberg initially broke the news regarding the Wyoming site sale in June. However, the setback did not hinder Crusoe's financial momentum, as the company successfully secured a $3.9 billion funding round in September. Founded by CEO Chase Lochmiller and Cully Cavness as a natural gas-powered cryptocurrency mining enterprise, Crusoe has evolved significantly within the AI NEWS ecosystem. The company currently generates revenue by leasing out data center space to clients bringing their own graphics processing units, renting out proprietary hardware, and selling compute power dedicated to running artificial intelligence inference models.
Crusoe's major infrastructure projects currently support some of the most prominent names in the artificial intelligence sector. The developer is constructing a multi-phased campus in Abilene, Texas, tailored for Oracle and OpenAI, alongside a separate 900-megawatt campus next door slated for Microsoft, with operations expected to launch in mid-2027. Additional clients include Meta, while reports indicate that trading firm Jane Street committed to a substantial $13 billion, five-year cloud service agreement with Crusoe.
