Historic $12 Billion Dollar Investment in Shreveport by Amazon for New Data Centers

High tech is coming to northwest Louisiana in a big way. The region will soon be home to 3 high tech data centers which will create hundreds of permanent jobs once the data centers are open for business.

Who Is Bringing Data Centers to Shreveport Area?

This deal involves Amazon and Stack. Stack will act as the developer and Amazon Web Services will be the primary tenant or operator. They are planning to operate 3 campuses in this region.

Governor Landry says "the greatest opportunity Louisiana has is in north Louisiana. This is not just an announcement. This is a statement about where we are headed. This is the largest single investment in Louisiana. This is a 12 billion dollar project. It is a multi campus between Caddo and Bossier."

Landry adds "This project is so significant. It positions north Louisiana to be at the center of artificial intelligence."

Roger Wehner Vice President Economic Development for Amazon says deals like this "don't happen overnight. These deals happen based on earned trust and the belief we can do this together."  He also talked about water usage and says 87% of the year, they will not use water. That is due to efficiencies the company has made. He says Amazon will work closely with the utility companies to make sure these operations are responsible.

Where Will the Data Centers Be Located?

One of the data centers will be built in west Shreveport on Greenwood Road in the Resilient Technology Park at 7340 Greenwood Road. This is expected to be a massive $10 billion artificial intelligence data center. The site plan covers more than 250 acres and is expected to include seven two-story buildings with nearly 3 million square feet.

Another data center is planned for a site north of Blanchard along State Line Road.

The Bossier Parish site is North of Benton near the intersection of LA 3 and Old Plain Dealing Rd.

Governor Jeff Landry stopped in town for today’s big announcement. The goal is to make this region a hub for the global digital economy. These 3 projects will likely help reshape the economic makeup of northwest Louisiana. Experts say this will have a significant impact on the local labor market and infrastructure.

How Many Jobs Will This Involve?

Governor Jeff Landry says this complex of campuses will bring 6200 jobs during the construction phase and 540 direct jobs with a wage that is 50% higher than the average in the state of Louisiana. Landry says "These are life changing jobs. These are opportunities for our young people. That's how we keep our people here in Louisiana."

Amazon will also work to educate students in our schools about what a data center is and what kinds of jobs will be available. The company will also setup workforce training to make sure this area has the workers needed at these operations.

Governor Landry says today’s announcement is structured to protect ratepayers.

Lots of people love to divide us. But we will protect ratepayers under this deal. We have the cooperation from all parties involved to make sure this happens. We can build these types of projects responsibly. Amazon has agreements with Swepco to make sure the corporate giant pays for all of its power needs.

Landry pledges "This will not cost the people of Louisiana any more on their utility rates."