Meta raises Louisiana data center plan to more than $50 billion

Meta says its Hyperion data center project in Richland Parish, Louisiana, will grow into a 5gigawatt facility and cost more than $50 billion. The update is well above the $27 billion estimate shared in October, when Meta and Blue Owl Capital formed a joint venture to support the project. The company is expanding the site as part of its broader push to build more AI infrastructure. Meta said the project has already brought in more than $1.6 billion in contracts for local businesses and that it will spend over $1 billion on roads, water systems, and wastewater infrastructure. Louisiana has offered tax incentives to attract the project, including a 20year sales tax exemption for qualifying data centers. Meta said it will pay the full cost of the energy, water, and related infrastructure used at the site, and a spokesperson said the project is expected to reach 2 gigawatts by 2030, with no timeline yet for the full 5gigawatt buildout.