Meta Corporation recently announced that it will build a new artificial intelligence-optimized data center in El Paso, Texas, with an investment of up to $1.5 billion. This will be Meta's 29th data center worldwide and the third in the state, aimed at meeting the growing demand for artificial intelligence applications. The new data center is designed to scale up to 1 gigawatt (GW), and its power supply is sufficient to meet the daily electricity needs of a city as large as San Francisco.
Image source note: The image is AI-generated, and the image licensing service provider is Midjourney.
According to the plan, the data center is expected to go into operation in 2028, equipped with infrastructure suitable for current traditional servers and future dedicated AI hardware. The data center is located near the border of Texas and New Mexico, covering an area of about 1,000 acres. During construction, it is expected to create approximately 1,800 direct jobs, and after operation, it will employ around 100 staff on a long-term basis.
Meta's main reasons for choosing El Paso as the location for the new data center include the strong local power grid and abundant technical talent resources. In addition, the company plans to promote local economic development through projects such as "Community Accelerator," helping local businesses use artificial intelligence tools, and providing special funding for community initiatives in the region.
In terms of environmental sustainability, Meta considers this project a priority. The El Paso data center will use a closed-loop liquid cooling system, ensuring zero water consumption in most years. Meta also promises to achieve a "water positive" goal by 2030, meaning that the amount of water consumed by the data center will be returned to the local watershed at 200% scale. At that time, the energy consumption of the data center will be 100% from clean, renewable energy.
To date, Meta's investment in Texas has exceeded $10 billion, with more than 2,500 employees distributed across multiple areas including data centers, office spaces, and research laboratories. All construction projects, including this new data center, are planned to achieve LEED Gold certification to ensure energy efficiency, water conservation, and sustainable building practices.
Key Points:
🌟 Meta is investing $1.5 billion in a new data center in Texas, which is expected to go into operation in 2028.
👷♂️ During construction, about 1,800 jobs will be created, and after operation, about 100 employees will be employed on a long-term basis.
♻️ The data center will achieve a water positive goal, returning twice the amount of water it consumes to the local watershed.
