Rewriting the rules of AI infrastructure: How Prometheus Hyperscale is building a cleaner, smarter digital future

Prometheus Hyperscale is advancing the frontier of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Founded by Trenton Thornock, who comes from a sixth-generation ranching family, the company blends traditional stewardship values with next-generation engineering to pioneer sustainable, liquid-cooled hyperscale data centers built for the age of AI.

“We can’t solve the AI problem and its environmental impacts without thinking about the impact on the land,” said Trenton Thornock, founder and CEO of Prometheus Hyperscale. “If we fail at our efforts at stewardship, we failed—full stop.”

With a bold vision and a commitment to the planet, Prometheus Hyperscale is setting a new standard in the industry where performance meets purpose.

Scaling AI in the wild west

While developing their flagship data center near the family ranch in Evanston, Wyoming, Prometheus Hyperscale hit some serious roadblocks.

To realize their vision, they needed a robust network to power AI on an unprecedented scale, far beyond what traditional data centers were equipped to handle. “The infrastructure that exists right now in the data center space is low density,” said Trenton. “The world needs high-density, sustainable infrastructure.”

Prometheus is answering the call with digital infrastructure designed to meet the evolving demands of AI clusters. To support increasingly dense and power-hungry chips, they plan to scale their power capacity from 120 megawatts to over one gigawatt (1,000 megawatts).

Power is only part of the equation. Prometheus integrates clean energy sources—including solar, wind and natural gas—with advanced liquid-cooling technologies to manage thermal loads efficiently. Each modern AI chip generates heat equivalent to a continuously running microwave, rendering conventional cooling methods ineffective. A 150 MW data center may house over 100,000 such units, making liquid-cooling systems essential to prevent overheating, ensure optimal performance and reduce power consumption by about 50%.

Brady Thornock, Trenton’s brother and an operating partner at Prometheus Hyperscale, emphasized the demand. “We have to be innovative and always look for ways to be more efficient and more energy-wise,” he explained. “This is crucial for profitability. Without it, we won’t stay in business.”

Connectivity was the last critical challenge. Prometheus Hyperscale’s ambitious vision hinges on a high-capacity, low-latency backbone to maximize the full potential within the data center. As Trenton succinctly put it, “Without connectivity, a data center doesn’t do you any good.”

Connecting hyperscale to the heart of America

To meet the massive connectivity demands of AI, Prometheus Hyperscale partnered with Lumen—and found the perfect match in Lumen® Private Connectivity Fabric℠ (Lumen^® PCF^℠). This ultra-low latency, high-speed network is built for scale, security and the future of AI.

Trenton explained, “The only way to connect the project and achieve low-latency tethering to large parts of the U.S. population is to use Lumen long-haul fiber networks.”

By adopting PCF, Prometheus Hyperscale taps into North America’s largest ultra-low-loss intercity fiber network¹, allowing for seamless, high-volume data flow for AI workloads. They also installed ultra-low-loss fiber from Corning, boosting performance even further.

In addition to speed, PCF scalability supports Prometheus’s commitment to renewable energy and carbon neutrality, while Black Lotus Labs®, the threat research and operations arm of Lumen, provides real-time network protection.

Powering the future of sustainable AI

By teaming up with Lumen, Prometheus Hyperscale is staking its claim as a leader in sustainable AI infrastructure.

With Lumen Private Connectivity Fabric, Prometheus Hyperscale gains ultra-fast, secure and scalable connectivity—exactly what is needed to fuel the explosive growth of AI, big data and cloud computing.

“With AI, the data demand is massive. Thanks to Lumen infrastructure, we are prepared for this growth. The existing infrastructure allows us to continue advancing and remain relevant,” said Trenton.

Their flagship campus in Evanston, Wyoming, is set to become one of the largest data centers in the world. Prometheus Hyperscale plans to expand nationwide, with each new site meeting the same high standards as the flagship Wyoming facility.

Setting new industry standards for a greener future

Prometheus Hyperscale is proving that high-performance AI infrastructure and environmental stewardship can go hand-in-hand.

They’re minimizing power consumption with a cutting-edge liquid cooling system and by using the earth itself as a heat sink. Additionally, waste heat from their operations will be repurposed to grow high-value crops in indoor greenhouses.

“Waste heat utilization is a key driver in making this project unique,” said Brady Thornock. “As long as we have control of the land, we want to be good stewards.”

Looking ahead, Prometheus aims to deepen its decarbonization efforts with solar, wind and potentially small modular reactors (SMRs) for power generation.

“Prometheus aims to show the industry that by starting with sustainability, we can build a data center ecosystem that leverages natural attributes of various locations,” said Trenton Thornock. “This approach benefits the community by providing a food source that can’t grow here currently and supports net-positive AI.”

Their mission is bold and clear: build sustainable data centers for the age of AI and the greater good.

To learn more about Prometheus Hyperscale’s transformation, read the full customer success story.

Visit our customer story library to learn how organizations in virtually every industry are achieving their business objectives.

¹_{Lumen, Corning and Lumen Reach Supply Agreement on Next-Generation Fiber-Optic Cable to Support Data Center AI Demands, August 1, 2024.}

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