Crusoe sells unfinished Wyoming data center project to Google

Data center developer Crusoe has sold an unfinished project in southeastern Wyoming to Google, the companies confirmed Friday. Google will take over development, after reportedly raising concerns about the project's cost and construction timeline under Crusoe.

Crusoe first announced the project last year with Tallgrass, an infrastructure company backed by Blackstone. The plan was to eventually expand it to 10 gigawatts of power capacity. Google did not disclose the purchase price, but announced plans to invest $17 billion in developing the data center campus.

The sale highlights the challenges of delivering large data center projects on schedule and within budget, including securing equipment and power. Local opposition can also complicate development. Crusoe is still working with Google on a separate data center near Amarillo, Texas.

Crusoe, founded by CEO Chase Lochmiller and Cully Cavness, develops and operates data centers and provides computing services for AI models. Its other projects include a campus in Abilene, Texas, being built in phases for Oracle and OpenAI, and a separate 900-megawatt campus for Microsoft. Crusoe expects the first building there to come online in mid-2027.

The Wyoming sale was first reported by Bloomberg in June. Despite the setback, Crusoe raised $3.9 billion in September. Bloomberg also reported that trading firm Jane Street signed a $13 billion, five-year cloud deal with Crusoe.