Meta Hyperion Louisiana: 5GW AI Hyperscale Campus
Status: Under Construction / Scaling | Location: Richland Parish (near Holly Ridge)
Project Overview
The Meta Hyperion campus is a generational infrastructure project designed to serve as the global epicenter for Meta’s AI ambitions. Officially expanded in March 2026, this facility is architected to draw up to 5 gigawatts of power at full buildout—more than the peak energy demand of the entire City of New Orleans. The project is a central pillar of the "Ratepayer Protection Pledge" signed by Meta on March 4, 2026, ensuring that the project's massive energy requirements are met through new, dedicated power generation rather than existing public utility resources.
Located on a 2,000-acre tract in Richland Parish, "Hyperion" is being built specifically for Llama 4 and Llama 5 model training and inference. To handle the unprecedented heat generated by thousands of liquid-cooled GPU racks, the campus features a revolutionary water-recycling system that achieves a 90% recovery rate, mitigating concerns over local groundwater impact. The project is credited with revitalizing the regional economy, creating over 5,000 construction jobs and establishing a new "AI Corridor" in the American South.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Project Name | Meta Hyperion Louisiana: 5GW AI Hyperscale Campus |
| Location | Richland Parish (near Holly Ridge) |
| Status | Under Construction / Scaling |
| Commissioning | Phase 1: 2027; Full 5GW Buildout: 2032 |
| Total IT Load | 5 GW (Projected Master Plan) |
| Total Capacity | $10 Billion+ Capital Expenditure |
| Tier Level | Tier III+ (AI-Optimized) |
| Project Type | Hyperscale / Massive-Scale AI Factory |
City Profile
| Header | Details |
|---|
| City Name | Richland Paris |
| Population | Richland's population is relatively small. The city is part of a larger metropolitan area, so it can be helpful to consider the surrounding area as well. |
| Urban Agglomeration | As part of Paris’ urban agglomeration, Richland contributes to the broader metro area with a population that reaches over 2 million, considering the greater Paris area. |
| City GDP | $800 billion |
| Per Capita Income | $45,000–$50,000 annually. |
| City Tier | Tier 1 |
| Key Strengths | Richland, located in the broader Paris region, benefits from its proximity to one of the world’s leading economic and cultural centers. Strengths include a high standard of living, strong infrastructure, and access to global markets in various industries such as tech, finance, and tourism. |
Companies Involved
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Developer / Operator | Meta Platforms, Inc. |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | Louisiana Economic Development (LED) |
| Construction Contractor | Turner / DPR / Mortenson (Joint Venture) |
| MEP Engineering | Vanderweil Engineers / Morrison Hershfield |
| Network Connectivity | Meta Infrastructure / Lumen Technologies |
| Power Infrastructure | Entergy Louisiana / On-site Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Partners |
Technical Specifications
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Power Capacity | 5 GW (Target Scale) |
| UPS Redundancy | $N+2$ with Campus-Scale Battery Energy Storage (BESS) |
| Cooling System | Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling + Closed-Loop Evaporative Hybrid |
| Connectivity | 800G/1.6T Internal Fabric; Diverse Subsea Gateway Access |
| PUE Target | 1.09 |
| Energy Mix | Dedicated Natural Gas w/ Carbon Capture & Future SMR Integration |
Milestones
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Announcement | Late 2025 |
| Construction Start | March 4, 2026 |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | Targeted Q4 2026 |
| Full Buildout | NA |
Investment Details
| Header | Details |
|---|
| Total Investment | $10 Billion (Initial Phase); $50B+ (Estimated Total Lifecycle) |
| Funding | Meta Platforms Corporate CapEx |