In their January meeting this Tuesday, the Louisiana Board of Regents discussed a plan to build a $10 billion AI center in Richland Parish.

Funded by Facebook’s parent company, Meta, the Board celebrated the AI center as a step forward in the organization’s Meauxmentum movement — an ambitious plan that promises to “move Louisiana aggressively forward” by ensuring that “60% of all working-age adults… hold a degree or high-value credential by 2030.”

Speaking on behalf of the planners, Executive Director of Business Development for Louisiana Economic Development Devin Harrison lauded the center as a major step forward for higher education and economic development in Louisiana.

“There is a wide array of jobs that will be coming to Richland Parish and, because of this, there are different types of education requirements required to meet the needs for these jobs,” Harrison said. “We want to partner with local education institutions to make sure they have what they need to meet the workforce demands.”

In particular, he noted that the project would require workers with bachelor’s degrees in network engineering, mechanical engineering and business administration.

“This will be big for colleges in the area like ULM and Grambling,” he said.

This project also presents opportunities for graduating LSU students. One of the state’s leading suppliers of young engineers and business leaders, LSU is graduating more students with engineering and business degrees than ever.

According to the university’s Office of Budget & Planning, the number of students graduating from the College of Engineering and the College of Business has grown by 34% and 30%, respectively. For these students, Meta’s data center offers a promising long-term job prospect.

The AI center will also require specialists from a wide variety of trades to meet short-term demand needs.

Citing LED estimates, Harrison explained in addition to supporting 500 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs, the project will require over 5,000 construction workers during its most intensive construction phase.

Higher education is already adapting to help satisfy Meta’s labor demands.

According to a recent announcement from the Office of the Governor, “Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) has committed $250,000 in Workforce Rapid Response funding to Delta Community College to develop programs and expand capacity.”

Located between Rayville and Delhi, the data center is one of the largest private corporation-led economic investments in Louisiana’s history.

Gov. Jeff Landry has touted the project as a major victory for his administration.

“Today, Louisiana begins a new chapter. Today, we are delivering new jobs and economic growth on a scale unimaginable before we took office,” Landry said in a recent statement. “Meta’s investment establishes the region as an anchor in Louisiana’s rapidly expanding tech sector, revitalizes one of our state’s beautiful rural areas, and creates opportunities for Louisiana workers to fill high-paying jobs of the future.”

According to Harrison, construction has already broken ground in North Louisiana, and Meta anticipates continuing construction through 2030. He also anticipated that the center’s official operations will begin in 2027.

The Board’s next meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 26.