GNO, Inc. Sunday Night Highlight – Meta is Mega

In a massive economic development win, Facebook parent Meta will build its largest-ever data center on a tract of farmland in northeast Louisiana.  Gov. Jeff Landry announced the project Wednesday, calling it “transformational” in positioning the state as a site for the infrastructure powering the artificial intelligence boom.  The $10 billion facility, one of the largest private investments in the state’s history, will construct a 4-million-square-foot facility — about the size of 70 football fields — on 2,250 acres outside Holly Ridge, near Monroe.

The Meta project is of special significance in many ways:

• The Long Game – The site for the Meta facility, “Franklin Farm,” was bought by Louisiana for potential development 20 years ago
• The Big Game – This is Meta’s largest data center ever, and one of the largest private investments in Louisiana’s history
• Jobs Aplenty – The project will create over 500 permanent operational jobs and 5,000 construction jobs

• Big Data Energy – Entergy Louisiana will build three new power plants at a cost of $3.2 billion to meet the facility’s massive energy needs.  The plants, powered by natural gas, nuclear, wind, and hydrogen co-firing, will produce 3,762 megawatts of electricity — enough to power 1.6 million homes
• Partnership Power – Key collaborators included Governor Jeff Landy, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois, Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May, and Meta’s Director of Data Center Strategy Kevin Janda

These remarkable specifics notwithstanding, the significance of the Meta announcement for Louisiana is actually greater than this single announcement – it is generational.  For context, people often wonder why Louisiana is one of the few southern states with no auto manufacturing.  The reason is that in the 1980s, when other states were traveling overseas to meet with BMW and Mr. Toyoda, we stayed home.  As a result, we missed the wave.  This time, Louisiana is out front, surfing what many consider to be the biggest economic revolution since the printing press.  Louisiana’s ability to meet the energy demands for data centers gives it a competitive edge in attracting further investments, and will lead to related tech expansions and jobs throughout the state, including Greater New Orleans, for years to come.

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