Kevin O’Leary, the “Shark Tank” investor developing AI-focused data center projects, says public concerns about data-center water use are overstated. In interviews covered by Business Insider and The Next Web, O’Leary argues that modern data centers consume far less water than many people assume, and he again compares their water use to that of U.S. golf courses. The Next Web notes that the comparison is technically accurate but that the underlying numbers are more complex than a simple headline figure. Both outlets connect the argument to O’Leary’s proposed Stratos data center project in Utah, a large-scale effort described as covering about 40,000 acres, which has drawn protests and led to governmental action. According to the reports, the controversy centers on local water impacts and environmental concerns, while O’Leary maintains that data centers’ actual consumption is lower than critics suggest. The outlets present O’Leary’s position and the broader debate around how water use should be measured and compared across different facilities.