Former BP chief executive Bernard Looney has taken over as CEO of data center developer Prometheus Hyperscale.

Looney, who has served as non-executive chairman of Wyoming-based Prometheus since 2024, succeeds founder Trenton Thornock, who will remain with the company as a board member and advisor.

He will be charged with overseeing work on two planned campuses in Wyoming, as well as other data center projects being set up with partners across the US.

“As artificial intelligence and digital technologies continue to reshape our world, it is crucial that we build the necessary infrastructure responsibly. This is the mission we have set ourselves,” said Looney.

“Trenton’s vision that Wyoming would become a center of AI infrastructure positioned Prometheus at the forefront of next-generation data center development. I am honored to be in a position to continue to benefit from Trenton’s wisdom and counsel, and to work alongside the Prometheus team to lead the company through its next stage of growth.”

Looney worked at BP for his entire career, starting out as a drilling engineer and ascending to the role of CEO, which he took up in February 2020. He left the firm under a cloud in September 2023, resigning after it was revealed he had not disclosed to the company’s board details of his past relationships with colleagues.

The company later dismissed him for “serious misconduct,” denying Looney £32 million ($40m) in pay and share awards.

When he was CEO, he initially pledged to make the company net zero by 2050 - but walked back that promise in early 2023, instead doubling down on fossil fuel production.

As well as his role at Prometheus, he is a board member of energy investment firm XRG, and chairman of UK-based AI company ExpectAI.

Thornock, who founded Prometheus as Wyoming Hyperscale Whitebox in 2020, said: “With the wealth of knowledge and operational experience gained from his three decades at one of the world’s largest energy companies and the invaluable role he has played advising the company from its earliest days, there is truly no one better qualified than Bernard to take us into our next chapter.”

The company’s initial plans were to develop a 120MW campus on land in Evanston that forms part of the Thornock family ranch. It was relaunched as Prometheus Hyperscale in September 2024, and the scope of the Evanston campus was revised to 1GW. It is now targeting multiple sites, including a second Wyoming campus outside Casper, projects in Arizona and Colorado, and a development outside Dallas, Texas.

The company’s pipeline could eventually offer 2.5GW of capacity. Last month, it was revealed that In-Q-Tel, a venture firm funded by the US CIA, had taken a stake in Prometheus.