Meta’s $800 Million Data Center Deal with Indiana

Meta’s new data center aims to meet it’s global data needs including AI operation with construction set to start in January.

Meta and Indiana have agreed on the location of the newest data center developed by the internet giant. The internet giant will construct the complex near Jefferson, which is approximately 825 miles away from the state capital.

The complex will be around 700,000 square feet and cost $800 million. On January 25, Meta and Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced they would be forming a relationship.

Meta will be able to meet its global data needs, including its artificial intelligence (AI) operations, with the assistance of the emerging center.

Construction is anticipated to start in January, with a set completion date of the year 2026. During the “peak construction” period, it is anticipated that the project will employ as many as 1,250 workers.

A news statement issued by Governor Holcomb’s office stated that it will subsequently support “100 high-wage jobs.” Meta made an official post stating that the website would be green from the very beginning:

“Once operational, the Jeffersonville Data Center will be supported by 100% renewable energy through our investments in new renewable energy projects and like our other data centers, will achieve LEED Gold certification.”

The expansion of the social media network comes at a time when it is most suitable for the network. Meta has recently rejoined the club of companies with a valuation of one trillion dollars, marking its first participation in this group since 2021.

Generative artificial intelligence efforts have primarily credited with revitalizing the company’s stock. Meta plans to increase its overall GPU count to 350,000 H100s due to its business growth.

To put this into perspective, the competing artificial intelligence company OpenAI only employed roughly 10,000 GPUs to train ChatGPT.

The state of Indiana is also contributing to the project. Governor Holcomb’s press release states that Meta will receive an exemption from the sales tax on data centers for the first 35 years of campus operation, with the potential for additional exemptions until 2074:

“For each additional $800 million of eligible investment made at the site within that time period, the company will be eligible for tax exemptions for an additional 5-year period, up to a total term of 50 years.”