Meta is expanding its Hyperion data center campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana, to 5 gigawatts of compute capacity, pushing the company’s total investment in the site past $50 billion, Meta announced July 13.
The project has grown sharply since construction began in December 2024, when the initial price tag was estimated at $10 billion. It rose to $27 billion in October 2025, when Meta formed a joint venture with funds managed by Blue Owl Capital to develop and own the campus, with Blue Owl holding an 80% stake.
Local impact
Meta said local Louisiana businesses have received more than $1.6 billion in contracts since groundbreaking, and the company is committing over $1 billion to local infrastructure improvements, including roads, water and wastewater systems.
Rising tax revenue tied to the project has also reshaped Richland Parish’s schools. Superintendent Sheldon Jones said teacher bonuses jumped from $10,000 to more than $50,000 a year. Meta is also donating $5 million to Louisiana Delta Community College for scholarships, and pledged full scholarships for data-center trade certificates to Richland Parish high school graduates starting with the class of 2026.
Power supply
To meet the site’s energy needs, Meta struck agreements with Entergy Louisiana covering seven combined-cycle natural gas plants, battery storage at three sites and roughly 240 miles of transmission lines. Entergy said the deals, combined with an earlier agreement, should save its broader customer base about $2 billion over 20 years.
Once operational, the campus is expected to support more than 1,000 jobs in Richland Parish, a community of about 20,000 people, according to Meta.
The expansion is part of a broader buildout: Meta has told investors it plans to double its total AI computing capacity to 14 gigawatts by 2027, with capital spending on AI infrastructure expected to reach roughly $145 billion this year.