Data Centers

The Gulf States Newsroom wants to find out what residents in Richland Parish want to know concerning Meta's Hyperion data center's impact on their lives by monitoring and testing the air, water and dust.

The special meeting to consider the future of data center development projects in the city was called shortly after news broke about a proposed data center in New Orleans East.

Proponents for the change say it will help the state be competitive for major developments. Critics, however, say it weakens long-standing consumer protections.

An investigation from the Gulf States Newsroom found that trucks contracted to work at the Meta facility are causing delays and dangerous roads in Holly Ridge.

It would be the tech company’s largest data center in the world.

Mississippi ranks near the bottom for the size of its tech industry. But despite its shortcomings, some believe the state is not far from its own tech boom.

State leaders have lauded the beginning of two new projects, but some industry experts said they come with big power demands and few permanent jobs.