Meta broke ground on a $1 billion data center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, marking its 28th U.S. facility and 32nd worldwide. The groundbreaking took place on April 21, 2026.
The new facility is part of Meta’s AI infrastructure buildout, designed to provide high‑capacity, low‑latency compute for AI‑driven advertising and metaverse initiatives. It will support Meta’s expanding AI workloads and reinforce its strategy to front‑load capital expenditures.
The project will create approximately 1,000 construction jobs at peak and 100 operational jobs once the center is online. Meta will invest more than $25 million in local infrastructure improvements, including clean‑energy matching and water‑efficient cooling systems that cover the full cost of water and wastewater services.
This data center is Meta’s first in Oklahoma and expands the company’s U.S. footprint to 28 facilities, a key step in the broader Meta Compute initiative that unifies data‑center and network oversight. The investment aligns with Meta’s projected AI capital expenditures of $115‑$135 billion for 2026, up from $70‑$72 billion in 2025.
"Meta is planning to build tens of gigawatts this decade, and hundreds of gigawatts or more over time. How we engineer, invest, and partner to build this infrastructure will become a strategic advantage," said Mark Zuckerberg. "We are front‑loading compute capacity to prepare for the most optimistic cases in AI development."
The Tulsa facility will support both core advertising revenue streams and the company’s long‑term metaverse ambitions, positioning Meta to leverage AI for enhanced user experiences and more effective ad targeting. By securing early access to high‑performance compute, Meta aims to maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Community leaders have welcomed the project for its economic impact, though some local concerns about data‑center development remain. Meta’s commitment to sustainability and local infrastructure investment signals its intent to integrate responsibly with the Tulsa community.
Overall, the groundbreaking underscores Meta’s aggressive investment in AI infrastructure as a cornerstone of its future growth strategy, reflecting a shift toward data‑center‑centric operations that support both advertising and immersive experiences.
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