Sprawling data center at 'heart' of Meta's AI ambitions

Meta is building a massive $10 billion, 1-gigawatt data center campus on 1,500 acres in Lebanon, Indiana, part of the company's push to quickly expand its global infrastructure to meet growing demand for AI-powered services. The sprawling construction site, covering the equivalent of 1,136 football fields, has already transformed the rural landscape surrounding the home of local resident Christina Neff, who says it is "very depressing" to see the changes. Meta's vice president of data centers, Rachel Peterson, said the Lebanon facility is "at the heart" of the company's AI ambitions, as tech giants race to build out advanced computing power to support large language models like ChatGPT. The project is part of Meta's broader data center expansion, with 27 campuses around the US, including a $800 million facility in Jeffersonville, Indiana. While economic development officials see the project as an anchor for the state's "LEAP" high-tech corridor, Neff worries the facility could negatively impact her water, electricity, and quality of life, potentially forcing her to move from her longtime home. The data center will receive substantial tax incentives, but experts caution that the economic benefits don't always materialize as promised for local communities.