River Bend Data Center continues to advance through construction in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, following its launch as a $10 billion artificial intelligence infrastructure project. Since the original announcement, the development has secured additional commercial agreements, financing and engineering partners while remaining on schedule for its first operational phase in the second quarter of 2027. The project also reinforces Louisiana’s growing position as a destination for hyperscale AI infrastructure alongside other major digital construction investments across the state.
The AI campus is being developed by Hut 8 on a 592-acre site with an initial 330MW of utility capacity. The campus also has the potential to expand beyond 1GW, placing it among the world’s largest AI-ready data center developments at full build-out.
River Bend Data Center reaches new development milestones
Construction remains underway on the first phase of the campus. Hut 8 has commercialized 245MW of IT capacity through a 15-year lease agreement with Fluidstack, which will deliver AI infrastructure for Anthropic under a long-term arrangement supported by Google. The lease carries an initial contract value of $7 billion, with expansion options that could significantly increase its value.
The developer has also strengthened the project’s delivery team. Jacobs serves as the engineering, procurement and construction management partner, while Vertiv provides critical digital infrastructure solutions. Meanwhile, Entergy Louisiana continues supporting the campus with power infrastructure designed for large-scale AI computing.
To support construction, Hut 8 completed a $3.25 billion bond offering during 2026. The financing will fund ongoing construction, electrical infrastructure and associated substations as development progresses toward commissioning.
River Bend Data Center strengthens Louisiana’s AI construction pipeline
River Bend forms part of Louisiana’s expanding portfolio of hyperscale AI developments. The state has attracted several multibillion-dollar digital infrastructure projects through competitive incentive programmes, available power capacity and strategic industrial sites. Construction activity is expected to generate about 1,000 temporary jobs during Phase One and at least 75 permanent operational jobs, with additional employment planned as future phases proceed.
The project also complements the state’s other landmark AI developments. In northeast Louisiana, the $50 billion Louisiana data center project (Project Hyperion) is expanding rapidly with construction continuing in Richland Parish. Together, the two developments demonstrate Louisiana’s emergence as one of the United States’ fastest-growing AI infrastructure hubs.
River Bend Data Center Project Scope
Hut 8’s $10 billion River Bend AI data center in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, is currently under development, with initial construction having begun in late 2025 as part of a phased buildout designed to support artificial intelligence and high-performance computing infrastructure.
Jacobs was selected by Hut 8 to provide engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for the River Bend data center project in mid-December 2025.
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.
According to Hut 8, 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.
Power and Scaling: The site has secured 330 MW of utility capacity from Entergy Louisiana, with the potential to scale to a massive 1,000 MW (1 GW) in future phases.
Timeline: The first data hall is scheduled for completion and commissioning in Q2 2027.
Financial Partners: Financing for the project is being underwritten by J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs, covering up to 85% of the total cost.
Economic and Regional Impact
Job Creation: At peak construction, the site is expected to employ approximately 1,000 workers. Once operational, Phase I will create at least 75 direct new jobs in the region.
Infrastructure Partners: Hut 8 is collaborating with Vertiv for critical digital infrastructure and is using an execution model designed to de-risk the delivery of such a large-scale project
The initial 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 in the USA. The project is geared for an expansion, and the campus could become one of the larger AI-focused data center developments in U.S.
Hut 8’s River Bend development adds to a growing wave of large-scale digital infrastructure investment across Louisiana. In northwest Louisiana, Amazon is also developing new $12B hyperscale data center campuses, reinforcing the state’s emergence as a competitive destination for AI and cloud computing infrastructure.
Project fact sheet
Project name: River Bend Data Center
Location: West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, USA
Developer: Hut 8
Project value: Up to $10 billion (Phase One)
Project type: Artificial intelligence hyperscale data center campus
Status (2026): Under construction
Expected operations: Second quarter of 2027
Site area: 592 acres (within a larger 2,361-acre optioned footprint)
Initial utility capacity: 330MW
Commercialized IT capacity: 245MW
Potential expansion capacity: More than 1GW
Construction jobs: Approximately 1,000 during Phase One
Permanent operational jobs: 75+
Additional indirect jobs: More than 190
Primary application: AI training, high-performance computing and cloud infrastructure
Major commercial agreement: 15-year AI infrastructure lease with Fluidstack for Anthropic
Project team
Project owner and developer: Hut 8
Anchor customer: Fluidstack
AI end user: Anthropic
Strategic technology supporter: Google
Electric utility: Entergy Louisiana
Engineering, procurement and construction management: Jacobs
Digital infrastructure partner: Vertiv
State partner: State of Louisiana
Economic development partner: Louisiana Economic Development (LED)
Local authority: West Feliciana Parish Government
Financial partners: Institutional bond investors supporting Hut 8’s $3.25 billion financing, with underwriting led by major financial institutions.
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