Jacobs Begins Work on $10bn Louisiana Data Center

A major data center project is underway in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, as energy infrastructure provider Hut 8 advances one of the state’s largest private investments.

The Miami-based company has begun the first phase of construction on its River Bend data center campus, a project valued at about $10 billion. 

Hut 8 said the site is scheduled to become operational in the second quarter of 2027.

Dallas-based Jacobs is the project’s engineering, procurement and construction management partner. The firm will work alongside Ohio-based digital infrastructure specialist Vertiv.

Project financing is being arranged with J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs acting as loan underwriters, covering up to 85 percent of the total cost.

Jacobs CEO Bob Pragada said the project reflects a shared focus on scale and execution. “Jacobs brings decades of global expertise in delivering complex infrastructure for advanced facilities to some of the most discerning clients in the world,” Pragada said in a press release.

“Our collaboration with Hut 8 reflects the shared discipline and ambition needed to deliver a project we believe will become the benchmark for AI infrastructure.”

Hut 8 has already secured 330 megawatts of power capacity from Entergy Louisiana and said the campus could ultimately expand by a further 1,000 megawatts. At full build-out, the company said River Bend would rank among the largest data centre campuses worldwide.

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The development adds momentum to Louisiana’s growing pipeline of hyperscale data centers. Last year, Meta selected a team led by Turner Construction, DPR, and Mortenson to deliver a separate $10 billion data centre project in Richland Parish.

State leaders have welcomed the latest investment. 

“Louisiana continues to win,” Governor Jeff Landry said. “Hut 8’s investment in River Bend builds on our track record of attracting global-scale projects in the industries of the future.”

The River Bend project is expected to employ around 1,000 construction workers onsite.

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