Jacobs has been selected by Hut 8 to provide engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for the River Bend data center project in Louisiana, the companies said.

The River Bend facility has a lease contract of 15 years, which is valued at $7.0 billion. It has a potential of facilitating 245 megawatts of IT capacity. This is expected to form the foundation of a campus, which will then be utilized for A.I. work.

Hut 8 said the project will rely on existing power-dense infrastructure in the region to support large-scale operations. The company expects to complete and commission the first data hall in the first quarter of 2027, with additional data halls coming online later that year.

The company cited Hut 8 Mining Corporation’s experience in the completion of large-scale data center and infrastructure projects as the reasons for choosing Jacobs. Jacobs will be in charge of EPCM work throughout the development as the construction of the facility goes on.

The initial 245 MW phase of the River Bend project represents a significant capacity for a single data center development and a win for Louisiana in the race for data center development investments amongst states inthe USA.  The project is geared for an expansion up to 1,000 MW of utility capacity, the campus could become one of the larger AI-focused data center developments in U.S.

Project Factsheet: River Bend Data Center

Overview

Project Name: River Bend Data Center

Location: Louisiana, United States

Client: Hut 8 (Energy Infrastructure Platform)

EPCM Contractor: Jacobs Engineering Group

Project Type: AI and High-Performance Computing Data Center

Project Scope & Scale

IT Capacity: 245 megawatts

Lease Agreement: 15-year, $7.0 billion lease

Development Significance: Anchor facility for one of the largest AI and high-performance computing campuses planned in North America

Services Provided: Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM)

Key Features

Power Infrastructure: Leverages region’s power-dense utility infrastructure for reliable, high-quality delivery

Design Focus: Speed, flexibility and consistency at scale

Priority Areas: Safety, quality and disciplined delivery

Execution Model: Partnership-driven approach designed to de-risk delivery and establish repeatable framework for future expansion

Project Timeline

Initial Data Hall Completion: Q1 2027

Subsequent Data Halls: Rolling completion throughout 2027

Lease Duration: 15 years from commencement

Strategic Significance

The River Bend data center represents a major investment in AI infrastructure and positions the campus as a critical hub for high-performance computing in North America. The project emphasizes execution discipline and establishes a scalable delivery model for Hut 8’s broader development pipeline.