The Daily Dig:
Meta just broke ground on a $10 billion data center in Lebanon, Indiana, built to handle the computing power its AI push requires. The facility is designed for 1 gigawatt of capacity, roughly enough to power 800,000 homes.
Rachel Peterson, Meta's VP of data centers, said the site should be online by late 2027 or early 2028. Meta has agreements locked with local utilities and is funding the energy infrastructure upgrades itself. The project comes as large data center builds continue drawing scrutiny over energy demand and who pays for grid expansion.
Project Snapshot:
Company / Platform: Meta
Project type: Ground up data center (AI-focused compute)
Investment: $10 billion (Meta funding upfront)
Location: Lebanon, Indiana
Planned capacity: 1 gigawatt (roughly 800,000 homes equivalent)
Operational target: Late 2027 or early 2028
Power supply: Agreements with local utility providers
Grid/energy scope: Meta funding related energy infrastructure upgrades
Macro context: Part of Meta's three-year, $600 billion U.S. infrastructure and jobs investment (including data centers)
TheJobWalk Thoughts:
If you're hunting work on this, forget the drywall, the real job is the power stack. A 1-GW campus means utility coordination and electrical procurement drive the schedule, and that's where bid windows open first. Meta covering the grid upgrades clears up the usual cost allocation mess that can stall utility scope for months. For anyone selling into mission critical, this is a long runway with multiple entry points, especially if you're positioned around electrical gear, switchgear, or site civil. The work's there. Just know the sequencing runs through the substation, not the slab.
