Kevin o'leary's data center firm challenges 'bragawatt' label amid industry skepticism

Kevin O'Leary's data center company, O'Leary Digital, is countering criticism from Bernstein Research, which ranked it near the bottom of the industry's credibility rankings. CEO Paul Palandjian argued that the analysis overlooked key developments, including land agreements, water applications, and engineering work. He emphasized that the firm's 15-gigawatt pipeline represents the full build-out of two campuses in Utah and Alberta over several years. Palandjian highlighted that the company is not in an interconnection queue and that both campuses are designed to generate all their electricity on-site, a practice known as 'behind the meter.' In Utah, the Military Installation Development Authority has approved a 30-year development agreement, with about 11,000 acres under binding agreements. In Alberta, 13,000 acres are under a binding agreement, and a water license for 6 million cubic meters per year has been granted. Paland, who said the firm has capital for pre-development and advancing the project, noted that the engineering, power, and construction teams, along with global banks, provide evidence of its ability to deliver. Analyst Madison Rezaei acknowledged that while newcomers face skepticism, not all will fail.