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Meta is building a next-generation, AI-focused data center in El Paso, Texas, marking a major expansion in its global infrastructure footprint. The 1,000-acre facility is designed to scale up to 1 gigawatt of power capacity and is tailored to support the increasing demands of AI training and inference.

The investment has grown from an earlier commitment of $800 million to $1.5 billion as part of Meta’s broader strategy to lead the AI infrastructure race while embedding itself into local communities.

Beyond technical innovation, the project brings significant economic and environmental initiatives to the region. During peak construction, the site will employ 1,800 workers, followed by 100 permanent operational roles. Meta is also prioritizing sustainability, committing to a closed-loop cooling system, renewable energy use, and water restoration projects aimed at replenishing 200% of the facility’s water consumption.

Local partnerships and tax incentives are expected to solidify El Paso’s place in a growing data center ecosystem along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Why It Matters: Meta’s investment in El Paso is a calculated move blending AI innovation with economic development and environmental responsibility. Data center capacity and efficiency are critical as the race for AI supremacy continues. Meta’s El Paso center sets a new bar by aligning technological growth with sustainability and community benefit.

Meta’s El Paso facility marks a leap in AI infrastructure: The new 1,000-acre data center in Northeast El Paso is designed to support cutting-edge AI workloads, with the capacity to scale up to 1 gigawatt. Built with modular systems that can accommodate current and next-generation AI hardware, this facility is a foundational step in Meta’s pursuit of more powerful AI models and superintelligence. The investment in physical infrastructure highlights the importance of supporting the increasing demands of AI training and inference, which is compounding as AI use cases expand across Meta’s product suite.

Economic Boost, Limited Jobs: Meta expects to employ 1,800 workers at peak during the construction phase and approximately 100 permanent employees in its initial operational phase. However, these relatively low figures for permanent jobs are prompting both praise and criticism. Supporters emphasize the indirect benefits, expecting increased demand for local services, potential for tech-sector growth, and tax contributions to entities like local school districts and hospitals. Additionally, by offering digital training programs and grants to local businesses, Meta aims to foster a broader ecosystem of innovation in the region, suggesting that the data center may serve as a cornerstone for future economic development.

Environmental Oversight: In a community where water scarcity is a long-standing issue, Meta has promised a closed-loop, liquid-cooled system that will use zero water most of the year, along with a target to restore 200% of the water consumed by the facility back to the local watershed. The site has permission to use up to 1.5 million gallons of water per day at full buildout, but executives stress that actual use will be significantly lower and reported in annual sustainability reports. On the energy side, Meta has arranged for its electricity needs to be matched with 100% clean, renewable sources and has paid to build new power infrastructure in partnership with El Paso Electric.

Strict Regulatory Safeguards: Concerns during regulatory proceedings have influenced El Paso Electric to charge Meta rates based on the full cost of service, ensuring that no residential or small business customers bear indirect costs of supplying power to the facility. The utility will also report detailed energy use and revenues tied to Meta’s operation. Similarly, Meta’s water usage will be tracked, and the company has committed to transparency and accountability. This regulatory vigilance has led to broader debate over whether the public sector is gaining enough in return for foregone revenue, given the limited number of permanent jobs.

El Paso’s Tech Future: The region has recently attracted other major data center projects, including the massive $165 billion OpenAI-Oracle “Project Jupiter” campus just across the state line in New Mexico. Meta’s move carries weight due to its high-profile environmental and design standards. Local leaders hope it sets a precedent for responsible development and positions El Paso as a serious player in the AI infrastructure economy. Critics caution that such projects must be held to strict environmental and fiscal standards to avoid repeating patterns of extractive development that benefit corporations more than communities. Still, the city’s location, talent pool, and upgraded utility infrastructure make it an increasingly attractive option for other high-tech investments.

Go Deeper -> Breaking Ground on Our New AI-Optimized Data Center in El Paso – Meta

Meta to build $1.5 billion data center in Northeast El Paso – El Paso Matters

Meta to build $1.5 billion AI data center in El Paso, creating 2,000 jobs – KFOX14

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