Cost to Build Meta’s 5GW Louisiana AI Supercluster Hits $50 Billion

Photo of AI data centerGetty ImagesMeta dramatically scaled up its plans to build a massive AI data center in rural Louisiana.The social media giant on July 13 confirmed its intention to further expand the scope of the Hyperion project in Richmond Parish.Meta’s aim now is for the supercluster to deliver more than 5 gigawatts of compute at full capacity. But this will come at a cost, with the bill expected to rise significantly to about $50 billion.And that sum apparently does not include the cost of the chips that Hyperion will host. According to Bloomberg, when these are taken into account, the final price tag could be approaching $250 billion.The development is the second time the company has revised its plans for the facility, which was first revealed in late 2024 and initially earmarked to deliver about 2 GW.It was originally envisaged that the cost of constructing the hub would be around $10 billion. However, that figure was upped in 2025, when the company disclosed more specific plans.Related:Startup Raises $50 Million to Develop Sovereign AI InfrastructureAfter CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on Facebook that the center would be so large it would cover a footprint nearly the size of Manhattan, Meta subsequently said that the construction cost had spiked to $27 billion, and that Meta had entered into a joint venture with Blue Owl Capital to help fund the project.In addition to assistance from Blue Owl, Meta is benefiting from Louisiana’s 2024 decision to exempt all data centers built before 2029 from sales tax.“This commitment from Meta puts Louisiana at the center of America’s future in artificial intelligence, positioning our nation to compete and lead globally,” Jeff Landry, the Republican governor who signed off on the tax breaks, said in a statement. “In just two years, we’ve secured more than $150 billion in new investment by creating an environment where companies can move quickly and build at scale.”Meta, meanwhile, addressed concerns that the project's scale is too great in terms of environmental impact and energy use. “With more than $1.6 billion already contracted with local companies and thousands of jobs being supported, we’re delivering real economic impact alongside AI infrastructure,” Rachel Peterson, vice president, data centers at Meta, said in a statement.It’s expected that 2 GW will be available by 2030, with 5 GW reached by 2032.About the AuthorContributing WriterGraham Hope has worked in automotive journalism in the U.K. for 26 years, including spells as editor of leading consumer news website and weekly Auto Express and respected buying guide CarBuyer.