Meta says it will spend an extra $40 billion on its nearly 4,000-acre data center campus in Louisiana in its quest for more compute power | Tech Radar
Overview
News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Details
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
Meta says it will spend an extra $40 billion on its nearly 4,000-acre data center campus in Louisiana in its quest for more compute power
Meta says the project is great for the local community
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/Light Rocket via Getty Images)
Meta's 4,000 acre Hyperion data center will receive an additional $40 billion investment
Meta says the project has been a huge benefit for the local community of Richland Parish
Multiple groups and local residents have criticized the massive campus and its energy sourcing
Meta has announced that an additional $40 billion will be used to fund the construction of its enormous 4,000 acre data center campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana.
This additional funding brings the total Meta investment for the ‘Hyperion’ site to over
The data center itself is expected to consume 5 gigawatts of computing power, with an additional 2 gigawatts for wider campus needs, placing the predicted total usage upon completion at more than three times the power consumed by the city of New Orleans.
In a Meta blog post, the company boasted about the benefits of the enormous data center campus for the local community.
It cites
Meta to receive $3.3 billion in tax breaks for Louisiana data center project
Meta announces its first data center in Canada — a $9 billion 1GW Alberta mega facility
Meta wants to train Americans to build its data centers
“It’s life-altering for our teachers and their families, and it’s transforming our schools. Meta’s investment has made Richland Parish a destination for education as well as industry,” Richland Parish’s School District Superintendent, Sheldon Jones, told Meta.
Meta also said that once the project was completed, it would support 1,000 jobs. There is also a further $1 billion earmarked for investment in local infrastructure improvements, including roads, water and wastewater systems.
A promotional video accompanying Meta’s local funding news shows the story of a backwater town faced by a lack of business and opportunities, with local residents, teachers, and business owners speaking of the positives of having the Hyperion campus being constructed, accompanied by upbeat orchestral music.
While the select individuals featured in the Meta PR video preach of the benefits, there has also been local opposition to the project, which has been steeped in controversy.
Multiple environmental and consumer groups have pushed back against the project since its announcement, particularly around how the power for the data center will be generated. Entergy Louisiana is spending billions to construct 10 new gas-fired power plants to provide the necessary electricity. But many communities across the US who live in the vicinity of such power plants have reported a wave of symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, vertigo, and sleep disruption.
Google pledges $1.5 billion to expanding Alabama data center and paying for its energy cost
Meta data center identified as source of city's water reclamation contamination
Meta to power data centers with space-based solar energy
A Floodlight investigation, published by the Guardian, found that the success of Hyperion’s approval rested largely on the shoulders of a single Louisiana state senator, John “Jay” Morris.
Many of the land purchases and sales required for Entergy to construct the planned gas turbine plant were undertaken by Morris and his partners, Floodlight claims. Louisiana law requires government officials to recuse themselves from voting when a conflict exists, and prohibits the use of public office for private gain.
Morris has denied any wrongdoing. “It makes a nice story if you can try to show that I have some sort of conflict. But under Louisiana’s ethics laws, I don’t,” Morris told the Guardian.
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Alliance for Affordable Energy (AAE) have both criticized the Hyperion site, especially the amount of power it is planned to consume, warning that the site will unfairly shift the cost of electricity and infrastructure upgrades on to the site.
Additionally, the approval for the Entergy gas turbine power plant was fast-tracked through the Louisiana Public Service Commission, with the UCS warning that Entergy ratepayers would have to cover the costs of a $550 million transmission line that is only necessary because of the Hyperion site, alongside the fuel costs for the new gas turbine plant.
Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.
Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at Tech Radar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.
Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.
Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with a robust academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations, and the ability to translate intricate security data into actionable insights.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
1RAM crisis could get much worse next year — and might persist beyond 2030
2 Sonos is finally rolling out its long-awaited app redesign with new navigation
4 Nym VPN has released a huge i OS update adding Mixnet Tuning, Server Families, and app icon disguises — but some questions remain around the scale of some improvements
5 Experts get Google, Microsoft to pull trusted Mod Header after finding it could harvest data
Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
Key Takeaways
- News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
- Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
- Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
- Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
- Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards
