WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Meta Platforms Inc. (META) said it will expand its Hyperion data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana, to 5 gigawatts of compute capacity more than doubling its earlier plan of just over 2 gigawatts to support training advanced AI models.
Meta said the project's total investment will exceed $50 billion, positioning it among the largest AI infrastructure builds globally. Since construction began in December 2024, the company has awarded more than $1.6 billion in contracts to Louisiana businesses and plans to invest over $1 billion in local infrastructure, including roads, water and wastewater systems.
Meta added that the project is already having a visible local impact. Teachers in Richland Parish recently received annual bonuses of up to $50,000, about four times last year's level, which the company attributed to higher tax revenues tied to the development.
Meta also announced a $5 million donation to Louisiana Delta Community College to fund scholarships for graduates pursuing data center-related training.
Once fully operational, the facility is expected to support more than 1,000 jobs in a community of roughly 20,000 residents. Meta said it currently has 32 data centers operating or under construction worldwide, including 28 in the United States, as it continues to scale AI infrastructure amid growing demand for computing power.
The expansion comes as environmental groups continue to raise concerns about the energy requirements of large AI data centers. Meta noted that a request by Earthjustice to investigate financing for the Louisiana project was denied earlier this year.
The company said it will fully fund the energy, water, and related infrastructure used by the facility, and added that its agreement with Entergy Louisiana is expected to generate more than $2 billion in customer savings over 20 years.
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