Podcast: Prometheus Hyperscale Pushes Data Center Horizons to 1GW

Prometheus Hyperscale is the new corporate entity announced this month which expands upon the footprint and the promise of the Wyoming Hyperscale White Box project, first reported on by DCF in 2022.

For this episode of the Data Center Frontier Show podcast, we spoke with Trenton Thornock, founder of Wyoming Hyperscale, who has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Prometheus Hyperscale; Trevor Neilson, a seasoned climate-tech CEO and energy transition investor, who joins as the company's President; and John Gross, President of J.M. Gross Engineering, who is handling the project's liquid cooling infrastructure.

The Wyoming Hyperscale White Box data center has been under construction since 2022 on 58 acres of land near Aspen Mountain in Evanston, Wyoming, and represents a blueprint for creating super-efficient data centers with low impact on the environment and benefits for the local community. In the companies' transition, Wyoming Hyperscale has merged with Prometheus Hyperscale and been expanded from a 120 MW project to plans for a data center campus with 1 GW of IT capacity.

The data center is being built on land owned by Thornock's family, which has been involved in ranching for 6 generations. The location benefits from ready access to renewable energy from nearby wind and solar farms. Wyoming Hyperscale has a contract with Rocky Mountain Power for 120 megawatts of power and a 138 kV substation, which is fed by the same switchgear as the renewable energy generation sites. The site sits on a major east-west fiber highway that tracks the 41st parallel, along which data center hubs have emerged in places like Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah. The Union-Pacific Railroad line, which provides key right-of-ways for fiber deployment, runs through nearby Aspen Mountain.

The Evanston project underscores Prometheus Hyperscale’s commitment to sustainability and innovation. By integrating 100% renewable energy and advanced liquid cooling technology combined with heat reuse, the Evanston facility promises to be one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly data centers in the world. Importantly, less than 10% of the project’s power development plan is grid dependent (120 MW of 1,220MW or 9.84%).

A rendering of the Wyoming Hyperscale White Box project in Evanston, Wyoming, the precursor project to plans for the newly launched Prometheus Hyperscale.

The first facilities yielded by Phase 1 of the Evanston project are expected to come online within the next 18 months. Prometheus Hyperscale has also revealed plans to construct four other data centers across Arizona and Colorado.

And as previously reported by DCF, this May saw the announcement of a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) by fission-based nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) specialist Oklo to deliver 100 MW of power to Prometheus, using Oklo's Aurora Powerhouse reactors for power generation.

"Our partnership with Oklo not only provides us with a reliable, clean energy source but also positions us as a leader in sustainable data center operations," said Thornock. "Sam Altman’s and Jacob Dewitte’s vision for a sustainable future through advanced energy solutions aligns perfectly with our mission at Prometheus Hyperscale."

During the podcast, Thornock discussed the evolution of the Wyoming hyperscale project with Prometheus, highlighting its growth to a 1 GW prospect since the groundbreaking of the Evanston County project in 2022. For his part, Trevor Nielsen emphasized increasing demand for Prometheus driven by advancements in computing power and the importance of sustainability in the energy transition.

Our conversation also covered the company's partnership with Oklo, focusing on the streamlined permitting process for small modular reactors in Wyoming and the strategic use of resources for data center energy generation.

Here's a timeline of highlights from the podcast:

0:50 - Trenton Thornock discusses the history of Wyoming hyperscale and its evolution into a larger project with Prometheus, highlighting the journey from initial ideas to a 1 GW announcement.

6:51 - Thornock confirms that ground was broken for the Evanston County project in 2022 and details the infrastructure contracts, including a 140 megawatt PPA.

7:58 - Trevor Nielsen shares his background in the climate tech and energy transition sectors, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and how it aligns with the goals of Prometheus Hyperscale.

12:24 - Nielsen describes the overwhelming demand attracted by Prometheus Hyperscale since its launch, linking it to the increasing complexity and computing power needed for advancements like ChatGPT.

14:10 - John Gross recounts the initial conversation with Trenton about water in data centers, emphasizing their experience with managing water and discussing immersion cooling.

16:39 - Gross highlights the importance of flexibility and adaptability in cooling technology as data center developers face challenges due to the short visibility from silicon manufacturers.

18:08 - Conversation turns to the 100 MW PPA deal with Oklo and regulatory considerations regarding small modular reactors (SMRs) in Wyoming.

20:05 - Thornock explains the evolution of his companies' partnership with Oklo, detailing the streamlined permitting process for SMRs in Wyoming and the strategic use of land and resources for energy generation.

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