Meta unveils plans for massive data center in Temple

Meta Platforms Inc., parent company of Facebook, is planning a massive data center in Temple, investing about $800 million in the town that lies between Austin and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

The hyperscale data center facility will total about 900,000 square feet by the time the dust clears. The data center will be nestled on 393 acres off NW H K Dodgen Loop and Industrial Boulevard.

“Meta’s continued expansion in Texas is a testament to the exceptional business climate and skilled, diverse workforce we have here in the Lone Star State,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement. “It is because of hardworking Texans and our commitment to helping businesses grow that companies continue to move and expand all across Texas. We are excited to welcome Meta to Temple and look forward to the new job opportunities they will bring to the local community, as well as the advancements in technology we will see in the future.”

According to an announcement, the data center will support about 100 operational jobs in the community and employ 1,250 construction workers onsite during peak construction. The project is expected to break ground this year.

“We are thrilled to announce Meta’s decision to open a facility in Temple,” said Adrian Cannady, president and CEO of Temple Economic Development Corporation. “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. The Hyperscale Data Center will have a positive impact on our community not only by creating jobs, but because of Meta’s commitment to invest in local schools, nonprofits and community projects.”

Meta (Nasdaq: FB) is already a major tech employer in Austin, with more than 2,000 employees in the region at last count, although many of those are white-collar workers in downtown towers. The company late last year leased all of the commercial space in the Sixth and Guadalupe skyscraper: 589,000 square feet in the 66-story high-rise, which when finished will be Austin’s tallest building when finished.

Meta already has data centers in Texas: a $1.5 billion-plus campus in Fort Worth.

Courtesy of the Austin Business Journal. See the full article here.