Hut 8, a bitcoin miner headquartered in Miami, is planning to build a massive AI data center in West Feliciana Parish. The company will invest $2.5 billion to develop the first phase of the project and the data center’s tenants will invest an additional $10 billion in computers and equipment, bringing the total initial investment to about $12.5 billion. The news follows up on the recent announcement that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is planning to build a $10 billion AI data center in Richland Parish. Both projects are part of a larger move by state officials to position Louisiana as a hub for AI innovation. “This is our new oil boom in Louisiana,” West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard tells Daily Report. The first phase of the project will see two 450,000-square-foot facilities constructed by the end of 2025, and the second phase will see additional facilities constructed by the end of 2026. The Meta data center, by comparison, will not be completed until 2030. The Hut 8 data center will be constructed on 107 acres in the southeastern corner of West Feliciana Parish. Havard says the project will move much faster than the Meta project in part because of the parish’s existing infrastructure and power availability. In Richland Parish, Entergy will need to build new power generation facilities to support Meta’s data center. The Hut 8 data center’s proximity to Entergy’s River Bend Nuclear Generating Station near St. Francisville means it can draw on the power plant’s already available excess capacity, significantly accelerating the project’s timeline. The first phases of the project will require about 300 megawatts of power, though future phases will naturally demand greater resources. “This particular piece of land has all of the redundancy required. … It’s the perfect fit,” Havard says. The project is expected to create hundreds of direct new jobs and support between 1,500 and 2,000 construction jobs during peak construction. Havard says Hut 8 has committed to sourcing labor and materials locally whenever possible. According to Havard, the project will be a boon not only for his parish but also for the entire region. Because West Feliciana Parish has a moratorium in place on new subdivision development, it stands to reason that neighboring parishes will benefit from spillover growth as workers and their families seek housing nearby. “A rising tide lifts all boats,” Havard says. It’s worth noting that state officials have yet to formally announce the project, as West Feliciana Parish’s Planning and Zoning Commission still needs to approve Hut 8’s building permit. Officials will consider the permit at the commission’s Jan. 6 meeting, and Havard says he’s fairly confident it’ll be approved. And while the data center’s future tenants have not yet been revealed, Hut 8’s stock rallied late last week amid rumors that the facility is part of Meta’s plans for further data center expansion in Louisiana. Take Our Poll