Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
Meta Platforms Inc. and BlackRock Inc. announced Tuesday a venture to develop and own a data center campus in El Paso, Texas, combining Meta’s data center expertise with BlackRock’s infrastructure investment capabilities to support the company’s long-term artificial intelligence expansion.
The campus, now under construction, will provide 1 gigawatt of compute capacity. Meta will manage construction, administration, and property operations and will be the initial sole occupant when the facility begins coming online in 2028.
“Building the infrastructure for superintelligence is key to making sure the benefits of this technology are distributed to everyone,” Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.
BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink said the project “will create thousands of skilled jobs and help drive economic growth in the local community.”
Meta said it is investing more than $10 billion in the El Paso campus, which is expected to support more than 4,000 construction jobs at peak and about 300 permanent operational jobs. More than 2,300 workers are already on site.
The company said the project includes workforce development through America’s Workforce Academy and a $500,000 grant to El Paso public schools for STEM education and skilled trades. BlackRock said its Future Builders initiative is expected to train more than 12,000 electricians in Texas over three years.
Under the agreement, funds managed by BlackRock will own an 80% stake in the venture, while Meta will retain a 20% stake. The companies said total development costs are expected to reach approximately $14 billion.
