Photo courtesy of Tedder via Wikimedia Commons
AWS data center complex in an undisclosed western region, with three active facilities and a fourth under construction, reflecting the broader surge in large‑scale cloud infrastructure projects.
Amazon is preparing to break ground on a $12‑billion network of data center campuses in northwest Louisiana, a project state officials describe as one of the largest economic investments in the region’s history. The multi‑site effort spans Caddo and Bossier parishes and marks the company’s first data center footprint in the state.
The project, announced Monday by Louisiana Economic Development, will be delivered in partnership with STACK Infrastructure, which is serving as developer, owner and contractor for the campuses. Construction is expected to begin in March, with phased operations supporting Amazon Web Services’ cloud and artificial intelligence workloads.
STACK estimates the program will generate 1,500 temporary construction jobs, drawing from local contractors and skilled trades across electrical, mechanical, HVAC and related fields. Once operational, the campuses are projected to support 540 full‑time on‑site jobs and an additional 1,700 indirect jobs across the region.
Amazon has committed to funding all required power infrastructure, including new energy facilities, substations, transmission lines and grid upgrades in coordination with Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO). The company also plans to invest up to $400 million in local water infrastructure and has pledged to limit water use at the campuses.
The state’s incentive package includes eligibility for Louisiana’s High Impact Jobs program, the Data Center Sales Tax Exemption and workforce training support through LED FastStart.
At the announcement event in Shreveport, Gov. Jeff Landry (R) called the project a demonstration of Louisiana’s competitive position in the data center market, describing it as the region’s largest economic development initiative to date.
“Amazon is making a long-term commitment to Louisiana because our state delivers—prime sites, strong infrastructure and a skilled, hard-working workforce ready to support the next generation of technological innovation,” he said, adding that investments of this magnitude place Louisiana “at the center of operations relied on across the country and connect our communities to jobs that power how Americans live, work and do business.”
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Outside the announcement, protest