Meta has expanded its massive Hyperion data center project in Richland Parish, Louisiana, into a 5-gigawatt supercluster pushing total investments past $50 billion. The energy-intensive artificial intelligence facility brings substantial local infrastructure upgrades, community funding, and power agreements designed to shield utility customers from rising costs.
The 50 Billion Dollar AI Supercluster in Richland Parish
Meta’s massive Hyperion data center project in rural Louisiana is expanding rapidly, backed by generous state tax incentives and a booming corporate push for artificial intelligence compute infrastructure. According to reporting from CNBC, the planned supercluster in Richland Parish will scale into a 5-gigawatt facility costing more than $50 billion. That figure represents a massive leap from the original $10 billion estimate and significantly outpaces the $27 billion price tag revealed in October when Meta formed a joint venture with Blue Owl Capital to manage the build-out of a smaller 2-gigawatt campus. A Meta spokesperson told CNBC that the Hyperion project should reach 2 GW by 2030, and later added that the full 5 GW project should be complete by around 2032.
The project is reshaping Richland Parish, a rural community of approximately 20,000 residents, noted FOX Business. Once fully operational, the data center is expected to support more than 1,000 jobs. Unlike traditional data facilities, superclusters are packed with graphics processing units and cutting-edge hardware tailored for AI workloads. CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted in a Facebook post that the facility would be able to scale up to 5GW over several years, writing that Meta Superintelligence Labs will have industry-leading levels of compute and by far the greatest compute per researcher.
State Incentives and Power Agreements
The expansion rides a wave of tax rebates and energy deals offered by states competing for economic development during the AI boom. In late 2024, Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law a 20-year sales tax exemption specifically for data centers built before 2029 to court Meta to the state. Defending the state’s approach, Landry told CNBC in an interview last year, I’m a business guy. What we know is when you look at the overall comprehensive package here, it’s in the black. For local government, and the state, and how you get to the bottom line is irrespective to me.
To address energy concerns, Meta stated that the expansion includes an energy agreement expected to save Entergy Louisiana customers more than $2 billion over 20 years. Meta emphasized that the company pays the full costs of the energy, water, and related infrastructure the data center uses so consumers aren’t paying the cost.
Since construction began in December 2024, local businesses have received more than $1.6 billion in contracts from Meta. Furthermore, the company announced it will be investing over $1 billion in local infrastructure improvements, including roads, water and wastewater systems.
The economic impact has also reached local education systems. Teachers in the parish recently received annual bonuses of more than $50,000, up from $10,000 last year, thanks to increased tax revenue tied to the data center. Richland Parish School District Superintendent Sheldon Jones said in a statement, It’s life-altering for our teachers and their families, and it's transforming our schools,
noting that the investment has also helped the district attract stronger teacher candidates. Additionally, Meta is donating $5 million to Louisiana Delta Community College to create scholarships for residents training for data center jobs, and beginning with the class of 2026, all Richland Parish high school graduates will be eligible for full scholarships for data center-related trade programs.
