Meta Platforms will invest $1.5 billion to build a major AI data center in El Paso, Texas, expanding its infrastructure to power artificial intelligence applications across Facebook, Instagram, and its broader ecosystem. The facility, slated to open in 2028, will be Meta’s third in Texas and 29th globally, capable of scaling up to 1 gigawatt of power — one of the largest planned data center campuses in the United States.
The project will generate around 100 long-term jobs and involve up to 1,800 construction workers during its build phase. Meta said the investment reflects El Paso’s robust energy grid, growing tech talent, and its alignment with the company’s renewable energy and water sustainability goals.
The company plans to power the data center entirely with renewable energy and use a closed-loop cooling system that recycles water. It also pledged to restore double the water it consumes to local ecosystems — surpassing its 2030 target of being water-positive.
Meta’s move comes amid a broader infrastructure race among major tech firms, with Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta expected to collectively spend over $360 billion in 2025 on AI and cloud data centers. The El Paso project follows Meta’s recent $29 billion funding deal with Pimco and Blue Owl to develop a separate facility in Louisiana.
Local economic leaders hailed the project as a major win for West Texas. “Meta is the fastest gazelle in the industry,” said Jon Barela, CEO of the Borderplex Alliance. “We expect others to follow.”
