Meta Selects Northeast Louisiana as Site of $10 Billion AI-Optimized Data Center
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta announced it will build a massive $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 with average salaries that are at least 150% of the state per capita average. 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.
Economic Impact
Project Highlights
- The Richland Parish facility will be the largest of more than 20 Meta data centers around the world.
- Expansive technology campus will occupy 4 million square feet — enough to house almost 70 football fields — on the 2,250-acre former Franklin Farm megasite.
- Entergy worked with Meta to address energy needs, and Meta will match its electricity use with 100% clean and renewable energy.
- Once the data center is operational, Meta will launch their Meta Data Center Community Action Grants, a program created to address local needs.
- The data center buildings will achieve LEED Gold certification by focusing on efficiency, sustainability and innovation once operational.
- Site work begins in December 2024 and construction is ecpected to continue into 2030.
Louisiana Positioned to be Leader in AI
LED recognizes that fostering innovation is key to continued economic growth and technological advancement, which is why we have already taken significant steps to elevate Louisiana as a leader in artificial intelligence infrastructure and development.
Act 590, best known as the Positioning Louisiana to Win bill, established the state’s first innovation focus area, team and leadership within LED. It is a crucial initiative aimed at driving innovation across our legacy industries and preparing our state for the future by giving technology-based companies the tools to grow and thrive here.
The Legislature and Gov. Jeff Landry also moved swiftly to enact Act 730, designed to attract billions of dollars in capital investment in AI infrastructure during a wave of unprecedented data center investment by the big tech companies.
By laying this groundwork, we are ensuring that AI’s immense potential can be fully harnessed for the benefit of our economy and workforce.
JOSH FLEIG, LED Chief Innovation Officer (excerpted from his 10.10.24 Letter to the Editor in The Advocate)
Louisiana Advantages for Data Center Investment
New Incentive
During the recently concluded 2024 session, the State Legislature passed a new statute with broad bipartisan support that is designed to create competitive advantages for Louisiana in the national data center site selection sweepstakes:
- Act 730 provides a state and local sales and use tax exemption on the purchase or lease of data center equipment and software.
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- Initial term of 20 years with the option to renew for an additional 10 years.
- Data center must be located in Louisiana and certified by LED.
- Eligible purchases made on or after July 1, 2024.
- The project must create 50 direct, permanent new in-state jobs and spend at least $200 million in new capital investment in Louisiana by July 1, 2029.
Existing Incentive
- LED FastStart, one of the nation’s top workforce development solutions provides customized employee recruitment, training development and delivery at no cost to the company.
Proposed Incentives
The Legislature will consider a “new toolbox” for Louisiana to more consistently compete and win projects, including:
- A statutory high-impact and investment jobs program that would incentivize the creation of new jobs that grow wages for Louisiana residents.
- A strategic-investment discretionary fund for custom economic development solutions that will provide flexibility in tailoring incentives to projects of all sizes across all sectors.
Tax Reform
Gov. Jeff Landry called a special legislative session in November 2024 to consider the most consequential pro-business fiscal reform proposal ever put forth by the State of Louisiana. According to a Tax Foundation analysis conducted at the request of the State, the proposed changes would take Louisiana’s national Business Tax Climate ranking from No. 40 to the Top 20. Among the legislative proposals adopted:
- Reduced Corporate Tax Rates to the second lowest in the nation at 5.5%, a significant cut from the current 7.5% rate.
- Reduced Personal Income Tax Rates to the second lowest in the nation at a 3% flat rate, with a timeline for eliminating personal income taxes entirely.
Workforce & Infrastructure
Data centers located in Louisiana also benefit from:
- No. 1 and 2 Tech Talent Pipeline, 2023 and 2024, Business Facilities
- No. 1 Lowest Industrial Electricity Prices, U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Large-scale industrial water availability at sites across the state
- Certified development-ready sites available in every region. Explore them in-depth here.
Small Business
LED’s Team Innovation and Small Business Services is working hand-in-hand with Meta’s Community Development team to bring economic growth and opportunity to our small and mid-size businesses across the state.
LED is collaborating with Meta and their general contractors to create a series of informational sessions designed to educate and empower Louisiana’s business community on the incredible opportunities this project will create. These sessions will begin in Richland Parish in February 2025 and will expand to cover the entire state in the spring. Early in 2025, LED will kick off a robust outreach campaign to raise awareness and promote these educational sessions.
By staying informed, small and medium-sized businesses will be poised to take full advantage of the resources and opportunities available through this historic partnership. Additional small business inquiries related to Meta’s AI Optimized Data Center should be routed to Christopher.Cassagne@la.gov.
Growing Tech Sector
Louisiana has a rapidly growing software and technology sector throughout the state. Globally recognized companies are hiring for a range of positions in the technology space, including software developers to project managers, system engineers, app developers and designers. Explore the tech industry in Louisiana and view available opportunities.
