Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta announced it will build a $10 billion artificial intelligence data center in northeast Louisiana, a transformational investment that cements the state’s status as a major innovation hub and puts this picturesque rural community on the leading edge of a global digital revolution.
Meta projects the data center will support 500 or more direct new jobs in Richland Parish. LED estimates the project will result in the creation of more than 1,000 indirect jobs, for a total of more than 1,500 potential new jobs in the Northeast Region. The company estimates 5,000 construction workers at peak of construction on the 2,250-acre former Franklin Farm megasite that sits between the municipalities of Rayville and Delhi, about 30 miles east of Monroe.
Meta expects construction to continue through 2030. The company has committed to invest more than $200 million in local infrastructure improvements, including roads and water systems.
Here are more of the week’s top business stories:
- UPDATE: City Council Utility Committee Approves Entergy New Orleans Gas Sale to Delta States Utilities
- HRI Communities Announces Closing for New Multifamily Housing Project in Houma
- The Idea Village Releases its 2024 Start-Up Accelerator Annual Impact Report
- Developers Eye Louisiana, Texas Coasts for Offshore Carbon Storage
