Meta is doubling down on U.S. infrastructure as it races to power the next generation of artificial intelligence. On Wednesday the company announced plans for a massive new data center in Indiana — a $10 billion project designed to deliver 1 gigawatt of electrical capacity when fully operational. That scale is notable: Meta says the site’s power needs will equal the electricity consumption of roughly 800,000 homes. The company has already signed contracts with power providers to upgrade local grid infrastructure, and Rachel Peterson, Meta’s vice president for data centers, told Reuters the facility could be online by 2027–2028. “We’re going to be pushing a lot of capacity through construction very quickly at this site,” she said. Meta’s move highlights two broader trends. First, Big Tech is aggressively securing huge amounts of energy to run compute-heavy AI workloads. Second, the project aligns with the White House’s “Make in America” push — Meta has emphasized U.S.-based investment, and in November said it would pour $600 billion into U.S. infrastructure and jobs over three years. The Indiana announcement also contrasts with other recent cloud investments abroad. In December, Amazon and Microsoft unveiled plans to invest a combined $53 billion into data centers in India — with Amazon committing $17.5 billion and Microsoft $35 billion — targeting expansion in cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune. Meta’s choice to concentrate capacity at home gives a boost to U.S. power suppliers and construction firms. Who could benefit financially? Power grid and utility companies stand to win from necessary transmission and substation upgrades, making them a sector to watch as capital flows toward on‑site and regional upgrades. But the project has drawn opposition. Environmental activists warn that concentrated, high-demand facilities can strain local grids, potentially impacting residents’ power reliability, and raise broader concerns about carbon emissions and climate effects. For crypto and blockchain watchers, the story is relevant beyond AI: large, new industrial loads change regional power economics and can reshape where energy-intensive operations — including mining and compute services — locate or expand. As hyperscalers lock in long-term energy deals and push grid upgrades, investors and operators in both the energy and crypto ecosystems will want to follow how these megaprojects unfold. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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