Pranav Hotkar
Shreveport, United States - February 23, 2026 - Amazon announced plans to invest approximately USD 12 billion to build multiple large-scale data center campuses in northwest Louisiana, marking one of the company’s biggest infrastructure expansions tied to artificial intelligence and cloud computing growth.
The development will span Caddo and Bossier Parishes and support next-generation cloud and AI workloads. The project is expected to create about 540 full-time data center jobs and roughly 1,700 additional indirect jobs across construction, engineering, electrical, and cooling services.
State officials described the investment as a major economic win for the region, with operations launching in phases over several years. Construction is scheduled to begin shortly, supported by workforce development programs and local incentives.
The campuses are being developed in partnership with STACK Infrastructure and will include new grid infrastructure built alongside local utility Southwestern Electric Power Company. Amazon said it will cover the full cost of required energy upgrades and infrastructure improvements.
To address environmental concerns often associated with hyperscale facilities, the company committed up to USD 400 million toward public water infrastructure and said the data centers will rely primarily on surplus water and outside-air cooling for most of the year.
The investment forms part of Amazon’s broader capital spending surge driven by global AI demand, as hyperscalers race to secure compute capacity. Analysts note the expansion reflects the growing importance of geographically distributed infrastructure for powering advanced models and digital services.
Louisiana leaders said the project could generate significant tax revenue and strengthen grid reliability in the region, positioning the state as an emerging U.S. digital infrastructure hub.
The announcement underscores how AI growth is reshaping industrial policy in North America, with energy availability and cooling capacity increasingly determining where large-scale data centers are built.
