Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced on Wednesday that it will spend $10 billion to build an AI-focused data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana.
This will be Meta’s largest data center in the world, designed to process large amounts of data needed for artificial intelligence.
The announcement comes after Meta said it is looking for nuclear power developers to help meet its energy needs and AI goals. The company wants to add 1 to 4 gigawatts of new nuclear power in the U.S. starting in the early 2030s.
Big tech companies like Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft need more energy due to the growing use of AI. However, challenges like old nuclear plants, regulatory delays, fuel supply issues, and local opposition could slow down the use of nuclear power.
Meta’s Louisiana data center will use electricity matched with renewable energy, working with Entergy, a utility company that serves parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Entergy already runs two nuclear plants in Louisiana and has worked on energy projects for other tech companies, like Amazon.
Construction of Meta’s new data center will start in December and is expected to continue until 2030.
