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Meta is expanding its Louisiana data centre to 5 gigawatts (GW) of compute capacity and also launching a scholarship programme for all graduates from Richland Parish high schools, starting with the Class of 2026, as per a statement by Meta.
According to the release, Meta has been supporting local economic development by providing training to small businesses and investing in programmes that connect local workers and enterprises with opportunities linked to the data centre. "Meta is expanding its Richland Parish, Louisiana data center to 5GW of compute capacity in a town that's already seeing life-changing returns for teachers, local businesses, and students," the release said. Additionally, Louisiana Delta Community College will recieve a USD 5 million donation from Meta to create scholarships to train local residents for critical data center jobs. Furthermore, Meta is investing over USD 1 billion in local infrastructure improvements, including roads, water and wastewater systems, the release added. "We've also supported funding for new equipment for the Richland Parish Sheriff's Office and the Holly Ridge Fire Protection District," it said. According to the company, the expansion represents an investment of more than USD 50 billion in the Richland Parish region which will support infrastructure upgrades, workforce development initiatives and an energy agreement which will likely save "Entergy Louisiana customers more than USD 2 billion over 20 years, on top of the USD 650 million in savings for customers from the first agreement," the release added. "All graduates from Richland Parish's high schools, beginning with the class of 2026, will be eligible for full scholarships for any data center related trade certificate or course," it further added. Sheldon Jones, Superintendent of the Richland Parish School District, added, "Last year, our teachers received a USD 10,000 bonus, this year that check was over USD 50,000. It's life-altering for our teachers and their families, and it's transforming our schools. Meta's investment has made Richland Parish a destination for education as well as industry. This year, for the first time in my 30-year career, every teacher we interviewed was fully certified. With bonuses like that, the best educators come to you. And if we can attract the best teachers, we could become one of the best school districts in our region." (ANI)
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