Meta Expands Louisiana Data Center to 5 Gigawatts, Pushing Total Investment Above $50 Billion

Meta is expanding its Hyperion AI supercluster in Richland Parish, Louisiana, to 5 gigawatts of compute capacity, raising total investment to over $50 billion — up from $10 billion at groundbreaking in December 2024 and $27 billion when Meta formed a joint venture with Blue Owl Capital. The full projected cost could surpass $250 billion, according to Bloomberg. To power the campus, Entergy Louisiana is building 10 gas-fired plants (up from 3 originally planned), with Meta covering all construction costs and committing to fund 2.5 GW of new renewable energy and 240 miles of transmission lines. The 3,200-acre campus consists of up to nine buildings and is supported by a 20-year state sales tax exemption, including on AI chips. Local impacts include over $1.6 billion in contracts to Louisiana businesses, more than $1 billion in infrastructure investment, teacher bonuses rising from $10,000 to over $50,000 annually, and full scholarships for all Richland Parish high school graduates starting with the Class of 2026 through a $5 million donation to Louisiana Delta Community College.

Meta Hyperion AI supercluster expansion

• ▪Meta's total investment in the Richland Parish project has climbed from $10 billion (Dec 2024) to $27 billion (Oct 2025 joint venture with Blue Owl Capital) to now more than $50 billion as compute capacity grows to 5 GW. Bloomberg reports the full projected cost could surpass $250 billion.
• ▪Meta is expanding its Hyperion data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana, to 5 gigawatts of compute capacity.
• ▪The Hyperion campus now encompasses more than 3,200 acres after Meta purchased an additional 1,400 acres in 2026, expanding from the original 2,250-acre former farm. The site consists of up to nine buildings and is roughly four times the size of Manhattan's Central Park.

Economic impact on Richland Parish

• ▪Louisiana businesses have received more than $1.6 billion in contracts from Meta since construction began in December 2024.
• ▪Meta is investing over $1 billion in local infrastructure improvements in Richland Parish, including roads, water, and wastewater systems.
• ▪Richland Parish teachers received annual bonuses of more than $50,000, up from $10,000 the previous year, funded by increased sales tax revenues tied to the data center construction.

Electricity demand for AI infrastructure

• ▪Entergy Louisiana is building 10 gas-fired power plants (up from the 3 originally planned) to power the campus, with Meta paying for construction of all 10 plants and committing to fund 2.5 gigawatts of new renewable energy resources and 240 miles of new transmission lines.
• ▪Meta will pay the full costs of the energy, water, and related infrastructure used by the Hyperion data center.
• ▪Meta's agreement with Entergy Louisiana is expected to save utility customers more than $2 billion over 20 years.

Sales tax exemptions for Meta

• ▪Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a law providing a 20-year sales tax exemption for data centers built before 2029.
• ▪Meta will be exempt from all state and local sales taxes on data center costs, including servers, chillers, and construction.

Property tax abatement terms

• ▪To qualify for the property tax break, Meta must create at least 300 permanent jobs paying 150% of the state's average salary.
• ▪Meta negotiated a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with Richland Parish, making it eligible for a 60% property tax break by 2032.

Community workforce development programs

• ▪All high school graduates from Richland Parish, beginning with the class of 2026, will be eligible for full scholarships for data center trade programs.
• ▪Meta is donating $5 million to Louisiana Delta Community College to establish scholarships for data center-related trade certificates and courses.