Google Buys Troubled Wyoming Data Center Site, Commits $17 Billion

Google will invest $17 billion to develop a Wyoming data center campus it just bought from Crusoe — a developer that failed to sign Google as a customer and sold the site instead.

Google didn't disclose the purchase price. It announced the $17 billion buildout commitment alongside the acquisition. Crusoe, a Denver-based startup, had tried to bring Google on as a customer for the project before selling it altogether.

"Crusoe's pre-construction efforts – origination, entitlement, and de-risking – have set up the Wyoming project for construction and eventual operation," Crusoe CEO and co-founder Chase Lochmiller said in a statement.

Neither Crusoe nor Google responded to requests for comment from Inc., which first reported the deal.

What went wrong before the sale?

Bloomberg reported in June that Crusoe had paused development at the site after failing to secure a customer, while Google moved ahead with other partners. The report characterized Crusoe as being pressured to relinquish control after Google flagged issues with costs and timelines.

The episode underscores how hard it is to build AI infrastructure — especially for companies with less experience and fewer resources than tech giants like Google.

Crusoe started in cryptocurrency mining and energy before pivoting into AI data center development. It remains a key stakeholder in several major projects, including data center campuses for Oracle and Microsoft in Abilene, Texas. According to TechCrunch, Crusoe is still developing a separate Google data center near Amarillo, Texas.

How will Google power the site?

In a blog post about the project, Google said it will cover 100 percent of its energy needs and infrastructure costs related to the data center's buildout. The specifics:

• Natural gas fuel cells supplied by Bloom Energy
• Carbon capture and sequestration technology
• Air cooling to limit water use at the site

Energy, water and permitting remain the key chokepoints for data center development across the industry. Community backlash has intensified, culminating in what amounted to a referendum on AI in the midterm elections.

Voters rejected state and local measures that would have supported data-center permitting or construction. They also approved measures that banned, paused or placed additional restrictions on development. Beyond ballot initiatives, candidates who aligned too closely with data centers and pro-AI super PACs suffered at the polls.

Why the deal matters

Google taking the site off Crusoe's hands shows where power in the AI buildout sits. Developers without anchor customers can't carry mega-scale projects alone, and the giants that can afford $17 billion commitments will absorb the sites when timelines slip. Watch whether Crusoe's remaining Texas projects with Google, Oracle and Microsoft follow a smoother path — or the same one.

By Amara Osei, Business Bearings