Meta Platforms Inc. is currently implementing a project to build a data center in the US state of Indiana.

The cost of the mentioned facility, the commissioning of which will expand the physical network of the technology giant’s property in the future, is $800 million. It is known that this data center will be optimized to work with artificial intelligence services. The project, which is being implemented in Indiana, is another act of the technology giant’s desire to gain an advantage in the machine intelligence industry.

The construction of a data center is underway in Jeffersonville. Liquid-cooled hardware will be installed at this facility, which is designed to meet the growing computing needs of artificial intelligence. The technology giant has already upgraded many of its existing data centers to accommodate machine intelligence-based products.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been paying a lot of attention to the introduction of artificial intelligence into the company’s digital ecosystem in recent years. The corresponding efforts are to some extent conditioned by external circumstances. In this case, it means that technology giants such as Google and Microsoft are actively implementing artificial intelligence into their products and services. Against this background, Meta needs to respond to maintain a high level of competitiveness. It should be noted that for any company, ignoring AI is what can be described as a path to nowhere. Advanced technology, which has large-scale transformational potential, is already perceived by many as a kind of driving force for the transformation of human civilization.

The new data center will become the 22nd object of the corresponding functional purpose in the ownership structure of the parent company Facebook. The Indiana data center is expected to be operational no earlier than 2026. According to preliminary information published by the media, about 100 jobs will be created at this facility.

Jeffersonville is located across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. As part of the agreement with the leadership of Indiana, the technology giant will receive sales tax benefits in this region for the next 35 years.

The new data center will be 100% supported by renewable energy sources. The campus will achieve LEED Gold certification once operational.

Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore has officially welcomed the technology giant to the local community. He said that the area of the site on which the data center is being built is 69 acres. The mayor of Jeffersonville says that economic activity around this facility will support every sector of the local economy.

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb also welcomed the construction of a data center. He stated that the region’s efforts to develop the industries of the future are already paying dividends, attracting growth in critical sectors such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, energy, and data storage.

In an era of rapid development of artificial intelligence, data centers are of critical importance. Without sufficient information processing capacity, AI systems will not be able to fully function.

As we have reported earlier, Top Meta Executive Characterizes AI Era as Seismic Moment.