$17 Billion: Google Takes Over Crusoe's Stalled Wyoming AI Site

Google is taking over an unfinished data center project in southeastern Wyoming from Crusoe, the Denver-based developer confirmed Friday, after the search giant raised concerns about costs and construction delays under Crusoe's management, according to TechCrunch.

Google did not disclose the purchase price for the site itself, but the company announced plans to invest $17 billion to develop the campus going forward, TechCrunch reported. The sale closes out a partnership Crusoe launched last year with Blackstone-backed infrastructure firm Tallgrass, which had originally aimed to scale the Wyoming site to 10 gigawatts of power capacity.

Why did Crusoe sell the project to Google?

Google had tried, and failed, to sign on as a customer for the Wyoming project before deciding to acquire it outright, per TechCrunch's reporting. Bloomberg first reported the sale talks in June. The episode illustrates a recurring problem for independent data center developers racing to meet AI demand: securing power and equipment on schedule while staying within budget. TechCrunch noted that growing opposition from local communities can add another layer of delay to projects of this scale.

Does Google still work with Crusoe?

Yes. Despite walking away from the Wyoming site, Google is still relying on Crusoe to build a separate data center near Amarillo, Texas, according to the report. That arrangement suggests the Wyoming deal reflects a dispute over execution on one specific site rather than a broader break between the two companies.

What else is Crusoe building, and who is behind it?

Crusoe, founded by CEO Chase Lochmiller and co-founder Cully Cavness, started as a natural-gas-powered cryptocurrency mining operation before pivoting into AI infrastructure, TechCrunch reported. The company's largest active projects include a campus in Abilene, Texas, built in phases for Oracle and OpenAI, plus a separate 900-megawatt campus next door for Microsoft, with its first building expected online in mid-2027. Meta is also a Crusoe customer, and Bloomberg has reported that trading firm Jane Street signed a five-year, $13 billion cloud deal with the company.

The Wyoming setback did not slow Crusoe's fundraising. The company closed a $3.9 billion round in September, shortly after the Wyoming sale talks became public, and was recently valued at $30.9 billion, per TechCrunch. That same month, Crusoe added three board members, including JB Straubel, the Redwood Materials founder and Tesla board member who first invested in Crusoe in 2021; Crusoe later became the first customer of Straubel's energy-storage business.

What to watch

• Whether Google discloses further details on the Wyoming campus's power capacity or completion timeline as construction resumes under its direct management.
• Progress on Crusoe's Amarillo, Texas project for Google, the one site where the two companies' partnership continues.
• Whether Crusoe's Abilene campus for Oracle and OpenAI, and its adjacent Microsoft facility, stay on pace for the mid-2027 target.
• Whether other AI infrastructure developers face similar buyouts as hyperscalers grow more willing to take over troubled projects directly.