Meta invests $1.5 billion to build AI data center, commits to refunding 200% of water consumption
Meta (parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Threads) has just announced a $1.5 billion investment project to build an AI-optimized data center in El Paso, Texas (USA). This will be Meta's 29th data center globally and the third center located in Texas.
The facility is designed to be scalable to 1GW (gigawatt) – enough electricity to power the entire city of San Francisco for a day.
Supporting next-generation AI and creating thousands of jobs
The project is expected to be operational by 2028, with the goal of serving the growing volume of AI workloads. The center will integrate infrastructure that supports both traditional servers and next-generation AI hardware, ensuring flexible scalability in the future.
Located on a 1,000-acre site near the Texas-New Mexico border, the project is expected to create approximately 1,800 jobs during construction and maintain approximately 100 permanent jobs once operational.
Meta said it chose El Paso because of its stable power system, quality human resources, and local support policies. In addition, the group will also implement community programs such as Community Accelerator (supporting local businesses applying AI) and Community Action Grants to develop the regional economy.
Green data center – 200% water return
According to Meta, environmental sustainability is a top priority for all of its data centers.
The El Paso facility will use a closed-loop liquid cooling system that uses virtually no water for most of the year.
Meta also committed to achieving 'water positive' status by 2030 – returning 200% of the water the center consumes back to local natural basins.
In addition, all energy used for this data center will be 100% offset by clean and renewable energy sources.
To date, Meta has invested more than $10 billion in Texas, with more than 2,500 employees working in data centers, offices and research labs across the state.
The projects, including the El Paso data center, are aiming to achieve LEED Gold certification – an international standard for energy efficiency, water conservation and sustainable development.
