Meta announced that it will invest $800 million (5.1 billion yuan) to build a hyperscale data centre in Temple, Texas. The data centre will be around 900,000 square feet in size and will support approximately 100 local jobs once completed, according to the Temple Economic Development Corporation (Temple EDC). The company has begun construction and expects to be operational by 2024. 

Why it matters 

The $800 million facility in Temple is Meta’s 17th data centre in the U.S., and its second in Texas. The Temple’s hyperscale data centre will be powered entirely by renewable energy, aligning with Meta’s global policy for all facility operations. Meta has a practice of introducing renewable energy into local grids at all its data centre sites. Meta has already invested over 700 MW in new wind and solar energy in Texas alone. 

Context 

“Texas was recently named the top state in the nation for tech worker migration. When you combine that with Temple’s low cost of doing business and central location between major markets, it creates an incredible competitive advantage for our region,” said Adrian Cannady, president and CEO of the Temple EDC. 

Meta is committed to building and operating some of the world’s most sustainable data centres. The company says its data centres use 32% less energy, having achieved net-zero carbon emissions and are LEED Gold level certified. They are also 80% more water efficient on average than industry standard, with a goal to restore more water than consumed by 2030.