Meta expands Louisiana AI data center to 5 GW, $50 B

Meta Platforms has dramatically expanded its artificial intelligence data center project in Richland Parish, Louisiana, announcing on Monday, July 13, 2026, that the facility will now be a 5-gigawatt supercluster. The company stated the expansion pushes its total investment in the project to over $50 billion, marking one of the largest single AI infrastructure investments in the world.

The project, known as Hyperion, has grown significantly in scale and cost since its inception. Initial estimates in December 2024 placed the investment at $10 billion, with a later figure of $27 billion announced in October 2025. The latest expansion nearly doubles that disclosed cost and increases the facility's planned compute capacity from an original 2 gigawatts. This makes it Meta's largest data center globally, expected to occupy 2,250 acres.

To power the massive campus, Meta has entered an energy agreement with utility Entergy. The deal will fund new natural gas plants, grid-scale batteries, nuclear uprates, and purchased power. The company emphasized it will cover all energy, water, and related infrastructure costs itself, stating the arrangement is also expected to save Entergy Louisiana...