Meta Breaks Ground on $10B AI Data Center in Indiana

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced the groundbreaking of a new $10 billion AI data center in Lebanon, Indiana. The facility will have a capacity of 1 gigawatt and is part of Meta's broader $115-135 billion in planned capital expenditure for 2023. The company says the project will create 4,000 construction jobs and 300 operational positions, and it is taking steps to mitigate the facility's energy and water impact on the local community.

Why it matters

As Meta continues to invest heavily in AI infrastructure to power its platforms, the economics of these large-scale data centers are becoming more challenging, especially since Meta does not have the ability to offset costs by selling cloud capacity to external customers like hyperscalers Google and Microsoft can.

The details

The new Indiana data center is part of Meta's plan to spend $115-135 billion on capital expenditures in 2023. The facility will have 1 gigawatt of capacity and cost over $10 billion to build. Meta says the project will create 4,000 construction jobs and 300 operational positions. To address concerns about the facility's energy and water usage, Meta says it will pay the full costs for energy and water, work closely with utilities on energy planning, provide $1 million per year for 20 years to assist local families with energy bills, and invest over $120 million in critical water infrastructure for the city of Lebanon.

• Meta announced the groundbreaking on February 12, 2026.
• Construction on the new data center is expected to take several years.

What’s next

Meta plans to complete construction on the new Indiana data center over the next several years, adding significant AI infrastructure capacity to support its growing platforms.