Meta’s $50 billion Louisiana data center gets a big tax boost as AI spending surges

Meta’s massive data center project in Louisiana is set to cost more than $50 billion, but the tech giant is also benefiting from a major tax incentive given by the state as it races to expand its artificial intelligence infrastructure.

In late 2024, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a law offering a 20-year sales tax exemption to data centers built before 2029. This was part of the state’s effort to attract Meta and secure a share of the growing AI investment boom.

“I’m a business guy,” Landry told CNBC in an interview last year. “What we know is when you look at the overall comprehensive package here, it’s in the black.”