# Inside the long, bitter fight over one man’s quest to build the biggest AI datacenter in California

- Source: Guardian World
- Published: 2026-10-17T13:00:31+00:00
- Category: World
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/oct/17/california-datacenter-imperial
- Canonical: https://groundlevelnews.com/story/inside-the-long-bitter-fight-over-one-man-s-quest-to-build-the-biggest-c56b0e/

A modern-day prospector promised rural Imperial thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue – but his plan has set off a firestorm of resistance Sebastian Rucci zoomed in on a map in late 2024, looking closely at a large block of brown earth. The barren plot sandwiched between sprawling alfalfa fields and sleepy desert suburbs was exactly what he’d been searching for – the perfect place to reali

_Ground Level News shows a short summary only; the full article and all rights belong to Guardian World._