Meta Announces Plans for $1.5B Texas Data Center in El Paso

KEY POINTS

• Meta announced a $1.5 billion, 1.2 million-square-foot data center in El Paso, scalable to 1GW for advanced AI technologies.

• The project is anticipated to create nearly 2,000 jobs, including 1,800 construction roles at peak and 100 full-time operational positions.

• The El Paso project underscores Texas’s growing role in the global technology and AI infrastructure landscape.

Meta announced plans on October 15 to build a $1.5 billion, state-of-the-art data center in El Paso, Texas. This move marks further plans by Meta to expand the company’s advanced infrastructure for artificial intelligence workloads, it said in a statement.

One Million Square Feet for AI Infrastructure  

The planned 1.2 million-square-foot “AI-optimized” campus will be west of U.S. Highway 54. It will support evolving AI technologies across Meta’s applications and services, including Meta AI, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.

The El Paso facility will become one of Meta’s largest, scalable to 1 gigawatt (GW), and will represent the company’s 29th global data center.

A rendering of a building at the El Paso, Texas, data center, which Meta announced plans to build. Headline image rendering overhead perspective of the Meta El Paso facility. Images: Meta

Economic Boost for West Texas  

Meta said in a statement that the project is expected to attract $1.5 billion in investment and create nearly 2,000 local jobs. At peak, the jobs will include approximately 1,800 construction positions and around 100 full-time operational roles once the facility opens.

Meta will collaborate with general contractors JE Dunn and Hensel Phelps on construction and work with local trade partners to maximize opportunities for the El Paso workforce.  

Trend Watch: Surge in Data Center Projects

The El Paso data center is part of a broader surge in data center construction across the United States.

According to Michael Guckes, Chief Economist at ConstructConnect, data center construction spending reached $13.0 billion in August 2025, surpassing year-to-date totals for all of 2024. Guckes reported the data in his monthly data center construction report. 

Average data center project costs have risen to $499 million, with per-square-foot costs up 47% year-over-year, driven by increasing complexity and energy demands. 

Guckes said, “This reflects the growing demand for digital infrastructure and the increasing complexity of these facilities.”

Meta’s announcement last week for an El Paso, Texas build follows a trend reported by Guckes earlier this month: “Southern states, including Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia, lead near-term activity, solidifying the region’s dominance in data center development.”

Annual US data center spending through August 2025 by calendar year and YTD through August 2025 is shown in a chart from the ConstructConnect monthly data center report. The August figure is notable, standing 75% and 400% above August 2024 and 2023 levels. At $40.0 billion, the current year-to-date total has already surpassed all spending recorded for 2024. Image and Data powered by ConstructConnect Project Intelligence

Sustainability and Infrastructure Commitments  

Aligned with Meta’s global sustainability objectives, the company said the El Paso data center will operate entirely on clean and renewable energy sourced through an agreement with El Paso Electric.

Meta is also funding new grid infrastructure, including transmission lines and substations, to serve the project without increasing consumer energy rates.  

In line with Meta’s environmental stewardship goals, the future data center will feature a closed-loop, liquid-cooling system that uses zero water for most of the year.

Additionally, Meta said in a statement that it has pledged to restore 200% of the center’s water consumption to local watersheds through partnerships with DigDeep and the Texas Water Action Collaborative.

Community Investment and Local Partnerships  

Meta is establishing local partnerships through Community Action Grants and Community Accelerator programs. These plans aim to boost the region’s small businesses, nonprofits, and digital education. According to Meta, these programs will roll out before the site’s expected completion later this decade.  

Meta has two other data centers in Temple and Fort Worth, Texas, and has invested more than $10 billion in the state since 2010.

The El Paso project enhances Texas’s growing role in the global technology and AI infrastructure landscape.

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