Google to build US$17 billion Wyoming data centre amid rising political headwinds

Alphabet's Google plans a US$17 billion data centre in Wyoming, its first in the state, partnering with Tallgrass Energy, Black Hills Energy, American Electric Power and Related Digital. The announcement comes as 40 of 41 data-centre-related ballot measures in the US midterm elections went against t

Alphabet's Google will invest US$17 billion to build its first data centre in Wyoming, the company said on 5 Nov 2026, pushing ahead with a major AI infrastructure investment as political resistance to data centre expansion grows following the US midterm elections.

Of the 41 data centre-related ballot measures voted on this week, all but one went against data centres, according to Ballotpedia. The project will be built in partnership with Tallgrass Energy, Black Hills Energy, American Electric Power and Related Digital. It will be powered in part by a planned 702-megawatt fuel-cell development equipped with carbon capture and storage technology, with fuel cells supplied by Bloom Energy.

Wyoming is a Republican stronghold where Donald Trump won more than 70 per cent of the presidential vote in 2024. The announcement comes as investors reassess the pace of the AI infrastructure buildout. Wins by candidates opposed to data-centre expansion in key Texas and Georgia races during the midterm elections have added to concerns that political resistance could complicate the industry's rapid expansion.

Separately, Microsoft has declined to expand a Texas data-centre agreement with AI cloud provider Nscale, with Bloomberg News reporting earlier in the day that the company planned to tighten oversight of some data-centre projects from neocloud providers Nebius, IREN and Nscale. Shares of Bloom Energy also slumped more than 14 per cent on worries that any potential restrictions could hit the industry.