Jason Miller, senior advisor to the Trump-Vance transition, discusses Trump’s impeachment trial in New York, the Hunter Biden pardon and the possible roles of public figures in Trump’s policies.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry praised Meta’s plans to build a new intelligence data center in the Pelican State, calling it “the largest independent announcement.”
“@Meta to establish $10 billion Artificial Intelligence Optimized Data Center in North Louisiana,” Landry wrote via X late Wednesday. “This is the largest independent announcement our state has ever made! Today, Louisiana begins a new chapter.”
Meta’s plans for this new facility in northeast Louisiana bring hope that the $10 billion investment will transform an economically neglected area of the state.
OPENAI LAUNCHES SYSTEMS TO PROTECT US MILITARY PERSONNEL FROM LETHAL DRONE ATTACKS
Louisiana is among a growing number of states offering tax credits and other incentives to attract large technology firms seeking sites for energy-intensive data centers.
The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech exhibition in Paris, France, on June 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus / AP Newsroom)
The US Department of Commerce has found that there are not enough data centers in the US to meet the growing AI-fueled demand, which is expected 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 AI’s largest data center to date, he added.
Signs outside the Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, US, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. Meta Platforms Inc. released earnings figures on February 1. (Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“We want to make sure that we have a positive impact at the local level,” Janda told the Associated Press.
Gov. Landry is not the only one touting the economic benefits. Congressional leaders and local representatives from across the political spectrum have heralded the Meta facility as a boon for Richland County, a rural part of Louisiana with 20,000 people historically dependent on agriculture. About one in four residents are considered poor and the county has an employment rate of less than 50%, according to US census data.
OPENAI CEO SAM ALTMAN HIGHLY EXPECTED TO WORK WITH TRUMP ADMIN, SAYS WE MUST BUILD BEST AI INFRASTRUCTURE
But hope is being lost on some environmental and affordable energy groups that are raising concerns about the facility’s energy use.
Facebook’s new redesigned logo, Meta, appears on the smartphone in front of the displayed logos of Facebook, Messenger, Intagram, Whatsapp and Oculus. (REUTERS Photos/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)
Meta plans to invest $200 million in road and water infrastructure development so that the region can eliminate water use. The facility is expected to be completed by 2030.
Entergy, one of the nation’s largest utility providers, plans to immediately build three natural gas power plants in Louisiana capable of generating 2,262 megawatts for the Meta data center over a 15-year period — about one-tenth of Entergy’s existing power capacity in the entire area. four regions.
CLICK HERE FOR FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO
The Louisiana Public Service Commission is considering Entergy’s proposal as other 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 to the grid in the future.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source link
