Investor and "Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary over the weekend said that energy security — not cash — is the defining factor behind the next generation of AI infrastructure.
O'Leary Says Power, Not Capital, Will Decide The AI Future
Taking to X, O'Leary said building an AI data center requires massive, low-cost, sustainable power, land and a workforce skilled enough to deliver, warning that those conditions are rare and extremely difficult to secure.
He added that nations with dependable and affordable energy supplies will ultimately "win the AI race," framing the challenge as far greater than simply funding hardware or models.
His $70 Billion Wonder Valley Project Tops Global Rankings
O'Leary also shared a table of the world's 20 largest upcoming data center projects, placing his Wonder Valley AI Data Center in Greenview City, Canada, at the top with a planned value of $70 billion — the largest AI data center project currently in the planning stage.
The scale far outpaces other global megaprojects, including Group 42's $40 billion Project Stargate in the UAE, South Korea's $35 billion Jeonnam AI Data Center, Aker Solutions, Nscale and OpenAI's $20 billion Norway project.
Most of the major developments listed remain in planning or pre-execution, with only a handful actively under construction.
This comes after O'Leary sounded a sharp warning, saying that China's massive power infrastructure—not its semiconductor production—now represents the greatest challenge to the U.S.'s standing in the global AI race.
He warned that the U.S. could lag behind China in AI due to one crucial factor: electricity.
Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang has frequently warned that China's AI progress could accelerate thanks to lower energy costs and looser regulatory restrictions.
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