Social media giant Meta has revealed plans for a massive data centre that will bring 1,000 jobs to a rural county in the heartland of the United States.
The tech giant, which owns Facebook and WhatsApp, plans to build the $800 million center in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The 715,000-square-foot center is scheduled to open in 2027. State of the Cowboys Diary reports.
At peak construction, the project, dubbed Project Cosmo, will create 1,000 skilled jobs in the construction sector, its organizers said.
The announcement was made at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Event Center in the presence of U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both Republicans from Wyoming, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins and other politicians.
Social media giant Meta has revealed plans for a massive data centre that will bring 1,000 jobs to a rural county in the heartland of the United States.
It is considered the largest investment ever made in the technology sector and could explain why several energy companies are building solar farms nearby.
However, not everyone is excited about the prospect of more big tech companies coming to the city.
Several residents had previously expressed concerns about noise and traffic resulting from the construction.
“Oh, of course not, we don’t want him here,” said Rachel Riter, a local resident.
“We bought our house 18 years ago and from behind we could see someone else’s backyard where cattle grazed. No one is happy about that.”
But Bradley Davis, Meta’s director of data centers and economic development, said the company has tried to work with the community.
Mark Zuckerberg’s tech company, which owns Facebook and WhatsApp, plans to build the $800 million center in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The 715,000-square-foot center is scheduled to open in 2027. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both Republicans from Wyoming, were on hand to unveil the plans.
“In all of our data centers, we are committed to being a good neighbor, a member of the community, and we seek to ensure that whatever we do in our operations is not going to disrupt anyone nearby,” he said.
The facility is designed to house networked computers that will store, process and transmit data around the world.
Meta will join companies like Microsoft and others bringing a data center to Cheyenne.
He declined to specify how much electricity would be needed to power the facility.
However, a similarly sized facility in Odense, Denmark, used 517,718 megawatts of power in 2022. Cheyenne runs on about 43,800 megawatts a year.
Part of the agreement stipulates that Meta cannot use more water than is necessary for a standard company with 100 employees.
The company will also finance miles of new roads around the data center, as well as water and sewer pipes.
At its peak, the project, dubbed Project Cosmo, will create 1,000 skilled construction jobs, its organizers said.
An Oregon company is building the facility, but locals can find jobs thanks to new educational programs offered in Wyoming, said Cheyenne LEADS Executive Director Betsey Hale.
The existence of the project had been kept secret by strict confidentiality agreements.
Davis said Cheyenne was chosen for its strong infrastructure, access to a skilled workforce and proximity to renewable energy.
“I can tell you that the people of Cheyenne fit the bill in every way,” he said.