Meta’s $200 billion Hyperion data centre in Louisiana: A game-changer
May 19, 2026 – 12:10 pm
Meta is building the most expensive single piece of private infrastructure in American history. The company’s AI data centre campus, Hyperion, located in Richland Parish, Louisiana, has a projected cost exceeding $200 billion—a significant increase from the initial announcement of $10 billion in December 2024.
The scale of the project
- Size: Spanning nearly 4,000 acres, the campus is roughly four times the size of Manhattan’s Central Park.
- Power Requirements: It will require 10 gas-fired power plants generating over 7 gigawatts of electricity.
- Operational Date: Expected to become operational by 2030.
- Job Creation: Projected to create over 500 permanent jobs and employ 5,000 construction workers at peak activity.
- Community Investment: Meta has committed $300 million to local infrastructure improvements.
Financing the behemoth
Meta is financing Hyperion through a $27 billion off-balance-sheet Wall Street deal with Blue Owl Capital, a private-credit investment firm. This approach, pioneered by Meta, involves 80% ownership by Blue Owl (through its special-purpose vehicle, Beignet) and 20% by Meta.
Supporting infrastructure
To power the campus, Entergy Louisiana is building 10 gas-fired power plants, tripling the initial plan. Meta has also committed to funding 2.5 gigawatts of new renewable energy resources, 240 miles of transmission lines, and battery energy storage systems. The potential use of nuclear power for future capacity is being explored.