So How Many Data Centers Are There In Laramie County?

The Chief Executive Officer of Cheyenne Leads puts the number of data centers in Laramie County that are active, under construction or going through the approval process at around 25.

Betsey Hale says that includes 10 that are active, five that are under construction, and 10 that are going through a city or county planning process. She cautions, however, that the last category includes centers that may not end up being built, so the count of 25 is subject to change.

''Just because they call doesn't mean they are coming'' Hale says. She also points out that it can take several years for a proposed data center to become a reality. As an example, she says LEADS worked with META FOR six years before that project became a reality.

Hale: Reports of 40 Or 70 Data Centers ''Are Way Off"

She also says it's important to understand that LEADS calculates the number of data centers by address. One campus could include several data center halls, and LEADS isn't counting the halls as separate data centers. But she says media reports that claim numbers like 40 or 70 data centers in the area are "way out of line.

Hale says all told, LEADS is currently working with 12 manufacturing companies that are considering location in Laramie County. Not all of those are data centers. For exmaple, Hale says some of those are firearms companies that are considering relocating from states "that aren't firearms friendly."

Hale and Cheyenne LEADS Board Chair Jeff Pope were guests on the Weekend In Wyoming program on Saturday on AM 650, KGAB.

You can hear their entire interview in the audio file attached at the bottom of this article.

Regarding water usage, Hale says the Cheyenne Country Club Golf Course uses more water seasonally than 10 data centers. Hale says

She also says Mayor Patrick Collins has told her that he will insist on closed-loop cooling systems for data centers to keep water consumption down.

Hear the LEADS Data Center Interview Here