Wyoming is attempting to strike a balance between attracting AI computing investment and controlling resource consumption. Governor Mark Gordon has signed an executive order requiring state agencies to consider electricity, water use, environmental impact, and community capacity when reviewing large data center projects.
The executive order focuses on electricity and water.
The executive order titled “Data Centers the Wyoming Way” applies to state agencies involved in permitting, reviewing, regulating, and supporting large data center projects. The order requires departments to assess water usage needs, environmental impacts, workforce planning, and potential pressure on residential electricity rates while supporting project deployment.
The state government’s stance is not just about attracting investment. As U.S. states compete for AI and advanced computing projects, Wyoming aims to bring in investment while avoiding excessive strain on local infrastructure from data centers.
Rising interest in AI investing fuels interstate competition
The report states that Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are expected to collectively invest approximately $650 billion in AI and data center infrastructure by 2026. These expenditures will primarily go toward cloud services, model training, and the computing systems required to run large AI tools.
Under this context, states with lower land and energy costs are facing greater competitive pressure. Wyoming hopes to attract some of this investment but has also used this order to predefine review priorities, particularly regarding electricity and water resource allocation.
This week, there was also new action at the federal level in the United States. On June 2, Trump signed an executive order addressing advanced AI innovation, cybersecurity, and national security reviews.
Bitcoin mining companies deepen ties with AI businesses
Wyoming has long attracted Bitcoin mining companies due to its energy resources, land conditions, and favorable policies toward digital assets. Now, as mining companies seek new revenue streams, AI and high-performance computing hosting are becoming increasingly popular expansion avenues for more companies.
In 2024, CleanSpark stated that it had signed a 75 MW power contract in Wyoming and completed its first Bitcoin mining facility acquisition in the state. The first site, with a capacity of 30 MW, is expected to add over 2 EH/s of hash rate upon commissioning; the second site is anticipated to add another 45 MW of power and approximately 3 EH/s of hash rate.
After the 2024 halving, with block rewards reduced, mining companies have accelerated efforts to seek revenue sources beyond mining. Companies such as IREN, MARA Holdings, Cipher Digital, Hut 8, HIVE Digital, and TeraWulf have explored AI or high-performance computing services.
The power contracts, cooling systems, and data center facilities originally built by these companies for Bitcoin mining have also made it easier for them to enter the AI infrastructure market. Bernstein has recently added TeraWulf and Cipher to its watchlist for “emerging AI infrastructure,” reflecting how Wall Street is beginning to view certain mining companies as data infrastructure firms with access to power resources, rather than merely cryptocurrency producers.
This executive order in Wyoming does not explicitly name Bitcoin mining companies, but its approval framework may influence how mining companies, AI firms, and data center developers compete for electricity, land, and project permits in the state in the future.