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Kevin O'Leary Compares Modern AI Data Center Water Use to Golf Courses
Kevin O'Leary said on Glenn Beck's radio show that new data centers consume water at levels comparable to golf courses. His firm O'Leary Ventures is building facilities with 1.4 gigawatts capacity in Utah. O'Leary also faces a defamation lawsuit tied to his Utah project.
Jul 18, 5:17 AM·1m read1 source
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Kevin O'Leary said concerns about water use by AI data centers are overblown and compared modern facilities to golf courses. Business Insider reported that O'Leary made the remarks during a recent appearance on Glenn Beck's radio show. He stated that any new data center now is like a golf course and that the first phase of his firm's Utah project would be no different than a golf course in terms of water use.
O'Leary Ventures is developing massive data centers in Utah and Canada.4 gigawatts of power capacity. O'Leary added that new data centers do not require anywhere near the water used 15 years ago in Virginia.
He proposed that developers bringing data centers should build their own power capacity and return some to the grid. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made similar comments earlier this year, calling water concerns totally fake and noting that evaporative cooling is no longer used. A Business Insider investigation found that some large U.S.
Data center facilities were permitted to use more water each day than nearly 49,000 Americans would typically consume. O'Leary is facing a defamation lawsuit after accusing some opponents of his Utah project of being backed by the Chinese Communist Party. Attorney Jeffrey Neiman said O'Leary intends to defend the lawsuit vigorously, bring counterclaims, and called it a cash grab.
