Jason Miller, senior transition adviser to Trump and Vance, discusses the push to dismiss Trump’s criminal case in New York, pardoning Hunter Biden and the potential role of some prominent public figures in Trump’s policies.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry praised Meta’s plans to build a new one artificial intelligence data center in the Pelican state, calling it “the largest private equity announcement yet.”
“@Meta to build $10B AI-optimized data center in North Louisiana” ā Landry wrote on X late on Wednesday. “This is the largest private equity announcement in our state! Louisiana begins a new chapter today.”
Meta’s plans to build a new hub in northeast Louisiana are raising hopes that the $10 billion investment will transform an economically neglected corner of the state.
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Louisiana is among a growing number of states to offer tax loans and other incentives to attract large technology companies seeking locations for energy-intensive data centers.
The Meta logo can be seen at the Vivatech exhibition in Paris, France on June 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus/AP Newsroom)
The U.S. Department of Commerce found that there are not enough data centers in the U.S. to meet the growing demand for AI, which is projected to grow by 9% each year through 2030, citing industry reports.
Meta expects its Louisiana data center to create 500 jobs and 5,000 temporary construction jobs, said Kevin Janda, director of data center strategy. At 4 million square feet, it will be the company’s largest data center to date, he added.
A sign outside the Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, United States, on Thursday, February 1, 2024. Meta Platforms Inc. published profit figures on February 1. (Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“We want to make sure we’re having a positive impact locally,” Janda told The Associated Press.
Governor Landry is not alone in touting the economic benefits. Congressional leaders and local representatives from across the political spectrum have heralded the Meta facility as a boon for Richland Parish, a rural part of Louisiana with a population of 20,000 that has historically depended on agriculture. One in four residents are estimated to live in poverty, and the parish’s employment rate is below 50%, according to the US Census.
But some environmental and affordable energy groups are losing optimism, raising concerns about the facility’s energy use.
The new rebranded Facebook logo, Meta, is seen on a smartphone in front of the displayed Facebook, Messenger, Intagram, Whatsapp and Oculus logos. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters Photos)
Meta plans to invest $200 million in improvements to the parish’s road and water infrastructure to offset water consumption. It is planned that the facility will be handed over in 2030.
Entergy, one of the nation’s largest utilities, is accelerating plans to build three natural gas-fired power plants in Louisiana capable of generating 2,262 megawatts for the Meta data center over 15 years ā nearly one-tenth of Entergy’s existing capacity worldwide. four states.
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The Louisiana Public Service Commission is considering Entergy’s proposal as some environmental groups oppose locking the state into fossil fuel-based energy infrastructure. Meta said it plans to help bring 1,500 megawatts of renewable energy onto the grid in the future.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
