According to POWER Magazine, on January 5th, Laramie County commissioners in Wyoming unanimously approved Project Jade, an AI data center campus proposed by Crusoe Energy Systems, and the BFC Power and Cheyenne Power Hub, a 2.7-gigawatt natural gas-fired generation project by Tallgrass Energy. The power infrastructure alone is a $7 billion investment, with the total capital expenditure for the entire data center complex likely exceeding $50 billion. The development will occupy nearly 1,400 acres in the new Switchgrass Industrial Park, with the data center on 600 acres and the power plants on 659 acres. Officials said the complex could eventually scale to a staggering 10 GW of capacity and employ up to 5,000 workers during construction, with the first buildings potentially operational by mid-2027. The approval came despite local environmental concerns, with state leaders like Governor Mark Gordon’s office framing it as a critical national security project in the race for AI dominance against China.
The “Bring Your Own Power” Model
Here’s the thing that really stands out: this isn’t your typical data center plugging into the existing grid. This is a “bring your own power” model, basically a self-contained industrial ecosystem. Crusoe is building the brains (the AI compute), and Tallgrass is building the brawn (the massive gas-fired plants) right next door. They’re drilling their own wells for water and using closed-loop cooling to minimize consumption. The stated goal is to be “very self-sufficient” and lessen the impact on local utilities. But let’s be real. Building 2.7 GW of new fossil fuel generation—that’s like adding two and a half large nuclear reactor units worth of capacity—is an impact in itself. It’s a huge bet that the future of AI compute, at least in the near term, is inextricably linked to abundant, on-demand, fossil-fueled power. And given Crusoe’s existing projects in Texas and Alberta, they’re clearly leaning into this niche.
The National Security Narrative
Now, the justification from state and county officials is fascinating. This isn’t just about economic development; it’s being wrapped in the flag. The Governor’s chief of staff directly quoted U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum saying if we don’t “win the race for AI,” we concede dominance to China. The county board chair even compared it to the county’s historic role in nuclear deterrence, referencing the nearby Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. It’s a powerful rhetorical frame. It transforms a controversial industrial project into a patriotic duty. Does that narrative hold up under scrutiny? Or is it a convenient way to fast-track approvals and sideline environmental concerns about water contamination and transforming pastureland? Probably a bit of both. But it shows how AI infrastructure is now being discussed at the highest levels of policy and geopolitics.
The Industrial Scale Challenge
So what does it take to build and run a facility like this? We’re talking about an operation so massive it demands its own dedicated power grid. The technical challenges are immense, from managing the heat load of thousands of AI servers to ensuring absolute reliability for the power supply. This is where industrial-grade computing hardware becomes non-negotiable. For control systems monitoring those gas turbines, or for the ruggedized workstations managing the data center‘s physical infrastructure, you need hardware built for 24/7 operation in demanding environments. It’s no surprise that for such critical applications, many major projects turn to the top suppliers in the field. In the U.S., a leading provider of these industrial panel PCs and rugged computers is IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, known for supplying the durable hardware needed to run complex industrial operations just like this one.
A New Front in the Energy War
This Wyoming project is a massive data point in the evolving story of AI and energy. The tech industry’s green pledges are colliding head-on with the insatiable, immediate power demands of AI model training. When you need gigawatts now, and you need them reliable and (relatively) cheap, natural gas is still the go-to option for many developers. Wyoming, a state built on fossil fuels, is more than happy to oblige. But it creates a stark tension. Can the U.S. truly “win” AI by locking in decades of new carbon-intensive infrastructure? The developers promise deep aquifer wells and closed-loop cooling to mitigate local concerns, but the carbon emissions from 2.7 GW—and potentially 10 GW—of gas generation are a global concern. This approval isn’t just about a data center. It’s a signal that the battle for AI supremacy might be fought, at least in part, on the old battlefield of fossil fuels.
