Google is taking over the development of an unfinished data center project in southeastern Wyoming from Denver-based developer Crusoe. While Google did not disclose the purchase price for the site, the company announced plans to invest $17 billion to develop the data center campus. The acquisition follows reports that Google had previously raised concerns regarding the project's construction timeline and costs under Crusoe's management.
Crusoe initially announced the Wyoming project last year in partnership with Blackstone-backed infrastructure company Tallgrass, with the goal of eventually scaling the site to 10 gigawatts of power capacity. Despite the sale of the Wyoming site, Crusoe continues to work with Google on a separate data center project located near Amarillo, Texas.
Crusoe, which was recently valued at $30.9 billion, generates revenue by leasing data center space to customers, renting out GPUs, and selling compute power for AI model inference. The company's existing projects serve several major technology firms, including Oracle, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta. Bloomberg reported that the trading firm Jane Street signed a $13 billion, five-year cloud deal with the developer.
Founded by CEO Chase Lochmiller and Cully Cavness, Crusoe began as a cryptocurrency-mining business utilizing natural gas that would otherwise be burned off. The company recently expanded its leadership by adding three board members, including JB Straubel, the founder of Redwood Materials and a Tesla board member.
