First Look: West Feliciana’s data center
A large data center under construction in West Feliciana Parish will process Anthropic’s Claude AI model and is expected to open by the end of 2027. Developer Hut 8 is partnering with Entergy on a company-funded substation and plans to use closed-loop cooling to avoid groundwater withdrawals, while parish officials anticipate about $90 million in annual tax revenue.
Hut 8 is building a data center in West Feliciana Parish that will serve as a processing hub for Anthropic’s Claude artificial intelligence model. The facility, expected to be operational by the end of 2027, will cover an area roughly equivalent to 10 football fields and employ about 1,200 construction workers during development.
Water use and electricity demand have raised concerns about large AI data centers, but Hut 8 says the project will use a closed-loop cooling system rather than groundwater. The company is also working with Entergy to build a dedicated, company-funded substation. Parish President Kenny Havard said the project is expected to generate approximately $90 million in annual tax revenue for community programs, infrastructure and property-tax rebates.
Havard and Hut 8 representative Hailey Miller said the agreement was reached publicly with the parish president and council. Gov. Jeff Landry defended Louisiana’s approach to industrial recruitment, while bitcoin investor Donald Trump Jr. visited the site and promoted the importance of AI development.