The Great American Data Center Buildout: 25 Projects in Focus

Meta is developing its $50 billion-plus Hyperion data center campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana. The expanded development will span nearly 10 million square feet and support up to 5 GW of IT capacity.

Construction began in December 2024, with Turner Construction, DPR Construction and Mortenson delivering the initial development. Turner's Phase 1 scope includes four AI data center buildings, while DPR is delivering approximately 2 million square feet of data space and supporting infrastructure.

Phase 2 will add 10 buildings totaling approximately 5.5 million square feet. Turner and Mortenson are delivering the expansion, with preconstruction and procurement underway. Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2027.

Meta has committed to investing more than $1 billion in local infrastructure, including roads, water and wastewater systems. Its agreement with Entergy supports seven additional proposed natural gas plants, three battery storage facilities and major grid improvements.

The campus was originally planned to come online in phases through 2030, although an updated completion schedule remains unconfirmed. Hyperion is expected to support more than 7,500 peak construction workers.

STACK Infrastructure and BorderPlex Digital Assets are developing Project Jupiter, a four-building AI data center campus near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, that will supply Oracle computing capacity for OpenAI. It carries a minimum $50 billion five-year capital commitment, including infrastructure and equipment.

Clayco and Kiewit New Mexico Co. began construction in 2025. The first 855,000 square foot section has topped out, with work over 30% complete as of October 2026. By October 13, 4,393 workers had logged over 3.75 million labor hours, with a projected 7,000-worker peak.

The approximately 1,400-acre development includes data centers, power infrastructure and expansion land. A proposed Bloom Energy fuel-cell microgrid would provide up to 2.45 GW of generation capacity, supported by the planned 17.8-mile Green Chile natural gas pipeline.

Power permitting remains a key hurdle. Oracle announced design revisions on October 15 to reduce permitted emissions by 35%. A proposed El Paso Electric agreement for construction, commissioning and backup power also faces county objections.

The initial 400-acre development targets completion in Q3 2028, although permitting challenges and a September force majeure notice linked to power concerns create schedule uncertainty.

Vantage Data Centers is developing Frontier, a $25 billion-plus AI data center campus in Shackelford County, Texas, as part of Oracle and OpenAI's Stargate expansion.

The campus will feature 10 single-story data centers totaling 3.7 million square feet, with up to 1.4 GW of critical IT capacity. The buildings will support high-density AI racks with liquid cooling and closed-loop chiller systems.

Kiewit is the general contractor, with construction underway since 2025 and a formal groundbreaking held in December. VoltaGrid is providing behind-the-meter power infrastructure, with an initial natural gas generation installation of approximately 700 MW planned.

By June 2026, Oracle reported 115 MW of power capacity already online, more than a month ahead of schedule.

Vantage originally targeted its first building for delivery in H2 2026, while Oracle now expects initial customer delivery in H1 2027. State filings schedule additional buildings through 2028, with final campus completion unconfirmed.

Meta is developing an approximately $14 billion AI data center campus on roughly 1,000 acres in northeast El Paso, Texas. Expanded in March 2026, the development will deliver up to 1 GW of planned computing capacity.

Construction began in October 2025, with JE Dunn and Hensel Phelps serving as general contractors. The original project covered approximately 1.2 million square feet, with development potentially spanning five phases.

An April 2026 filing under Project Seafox identifies 12 new buildings, five substations and site work across approximately 600 acres, with projected completion in February 2029. Total expanded building area remains unconfirmed.

In July 2026, Meta announced a joint venture with BlackRock-managed funds to finance approximately $14 billion in development costs, covering buildings, power, cooling and connectivity infrastructure.

The campus will use closed-loop liquid cooling. Per Meta, the project backs $500 million in new El Paso Electric generation and $410 million in grid upgrades. The proposed 366 MW McCloud gas plant won conditional recommendation for regulatory approval in September 2026.

More than 2,300 workers were onsite in July 2026, with over 4,000 expected at peak construction. Initial operations are targeted for 2028.

Meta broke ground on its $10 billion-plus AI data center campus in Lebanon, Indiana, on February 11, 2026. Located within the LEAP Innovation and Research District, the development will deliver up to 1 GW of planned capacity.

The 1,500-acre campus will feature 13 buildings totaling approximately 4 million square feet, including 10 data centers and three support facilities. Construction could span as many as six phases.

Turner Construction and Mortenson are building alongside Faith Technologies, which is adding near-site manufacturing and integration facilities and two warehouse hubs. Meta pledged over $120 million for water, roads, transmission lines and utilities.

The facilities will use closed-loop liquid cooling and target LEED Gold certification. Meta is coordinating power infrastructure with Boone Power and Wabash Valley Power Alliance.

Initial operations are targeted for late 2027 or early 2028, with no confirmed revised schedule. The project is expected to support more than 4,000 construction jobs at peak and approximately 300 permanent positions.