Google Takes Over Crusoe's Wyoming Data Centre in $17 Billion AI Bet
Google has taken over Crusoe's unfinished Wyoming data centre project and pledged $17 billion to finish it, its first data centre in the state.
Image: Wikimedia Commons / Visitor7
CHEYENNE, Wyo., Nov. 9 — Google has taken over an unfinished data centre project in southeastern Wyoming and pledged $17 billion to finish it, turning a troubled Crusoe development into the company’s first data centre in the state.
Crusoe confirmed on Friday that it had sold the site to Google, a day after Google announced the investment. Neither company disclosed the price. The campus sits in Laramie County, near Cheyenne, on land Crusoe had been developing with Tallgrass.
- Google will invest $17 billion to build its first Wyoming data centre on a site bought from Crusoe, with the purchase price undisclosed.
- Power is the centrepiece: a planned 702-megawatt fuel-cell plant, built with Bloom Energy equipment under American Electric Power.
- Crusoe, valued at $30.9 billion, keeps working with Google on a separate data centre near Amarillo, Texas.
- The deal shows the AI race is now decided as much by power and construction as by chips.
A project Google once passed on
Crusoe first announced the project last year with Tallgrass, planning to scale it to 10 gigawatts. Google was the customer Crusoe had hoped to land, but declined to sign on, raising concerns about cost and construction timeline. Reports that Google would take over first surfaced in June.
The sale ends Crusoe’s role in the campus’s early development, including site selection, approvals and power strategy. The Wyoming setback did not slow its fundraising: the eight-year-old Denver company raised $3.9 billion in September.
Power is the real project
The striking part of Google’s plan is the power behind it. Google has contracted with American Electric Power for a 702-megawatt fuel-cell development using Bloom Energy equipment. American Electric Power said it would invest about $4 billion in the plant and sell the output to Google under a 20-year agreement.
Google said a large majority of the fuel-cell plant’s emissions would be captured and stored permanently at Tallgrass’s Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub. The data centre will use air cooling to limit water use, and Google said it would pay for all the electricity it consumes. Black Hills Energy, another partner, described agreements covering about 2.7 gigawatts, including reserves, with initial service in late 2027 and peak demand in 2030.
| Figure | Detail |
|---|---|
| Google investment | $17 billion to develop the Wyoming campus |
| Purchase price paid to Crusoe | Not disclosed |
| Fuel-cell capacity | 702 megawatts, built by Bloom Energy |
| American Electric Power investment | About $4 billion, 20-year agreement |
| Black Hills Energy portfolio | About 2.7 gigawatts, with reserves |
What it means for the AI buildout
Crusoe’s largest projects serve the biggest names in AI. Its Abilene, Texas, campus is being built in phases for Oracle and OpenAI, and a separate 900-megawatt campus next door for Microsoft should open its first building in mid-2027.
The Wyoming deal fits a wider pattern: AI companies are buying power plants, not just chips. Anthropic, which is spending $3.4 billion on gas generators to power its own data centres, struck its deal weeks before Google’s Wyoming announcement. Google committed $15 billion to data centres in Malaysia for 2027 and 2028, and Nvidia is backing sovereign AI infrastructure in South Korea with local partners.
For independent developers, the sale is a warning: even a developer valued above $30 billion can find a gigawatt-scale project too big to finish alone, and the biggest technology companies will now take over construction themselves rather than wait.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Google investing in the Wyoming data centre?
Google said it would invest $17 billion in the campus, its first data centre in Wyoming. That is the planned project investment, not the price paid to Crusoe, which was not disclosed.
Where is the data centre and how big is it?
The campus is in Laramie County, near Cheyenne. Crusoe and Tallgrass originally planned to scale it to 10 gigawatts. Google has not disclosed a final capacity figure or a first-output date.
How will the data centre be powered?
A 702-megawatt fuel-cell development, built with Bloom Energy equipment under American Electric Power, with most emissions captured at Tallgrass’s hub. Black Hills Energy covers a further 2.7 gigawatts, including reserves.
Does Crusoe still work with Google?
Yes. Crusoe is developing another data centre for Google near Amarillo, Texas.
American Electric Power expects its fuel-cell plant in full operation by the end of 2028, and Black Hills Energy expects initial service in late 2027. Google has not yet said when the campus will deliver its first computing capacity.
