Bringing the $800 million Meta Data Center and its 100 jobs to Montgomery came together through anonymity, teamwork, a whitewater park, and some heavy lifting by Alabama Power.
Meta Platforms announced Thursday that it will build a 715,000-square-foot data center on 1,500 acres across Interstate 65 from Hyundai Motor Manufacturing's Alabama plant in Montgomery. did.
Two of Meta's 20 data centers will be located in the state, and the company said Governor Kay Ivey was the first governor to attend the announcement of the two Meta data centers. Meta also has a data center in Huntsville.
“Meta has once again sent a friend request to the state of Alabama, and we're happy to accept, everyone,” Ivey said during a presentation at Montgomery Whitewater.
The $800 million Metadata Center campus will be built across Interstate 65 from the Hyundai plant south of Montgomery. (contribution)
The $800 million Metadata Center campus will be built across Interstate 65 from the Hyundai plant south of Montgomery. (contribution)
The $800 million Metadata Center campus will be built across Interstate 65 from the Hyundai plant south of Montgomery. (contribution)
The $800 million Metadata Center campus will be built across Interstate 65 from the Hyundai plant south of Montgomery. (contribution)
The $800 million Metadata Center campus will be built across Interstate 65 from the Hyundai plant south of Montgomery. (contribution)
Based in Menlo Park, California, Meta operates products and services including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. Meta data centers are a critical part of the global infrastructure that enables these technologies and services.
“Montgomery is the perfect home for Meta,” said Brad Davis, Meta's director of community and economic development. “It offers so much: great access to infrastructure and renewable energy, a strong talent pool, and most importantly, a great community that helped us move this project along quickly. It's a group of partners. You've all been great from the beginning, so I'm thankful for that.”
The adoption of what is known as the “Project Slate” took more than three years. His first two and a half years were so secretive that Alabama's economic development team only knew Meta by his first name.
During that time, they celebrated life events together such as the birth of a baby and high school graduation.
“But we didn't even know their last names. We didn't care about the companies they represented,” said Alabama Secretary of Commerce Ellen McNair. “But what we knew was that they were incredibly knowledgeable, very professional, great people, and really, really fun to work with.”
By their very nature, data centers require large amounts of reliable power. Meta's commitment to clean energy has added the requirement that its electricity needs be met entirely with renewable energy.
McNair said Alabama Power is critical to delivering on that promise.
“A big ‘thank you’ to Lauren Lambius and the Alabama Power team,” McNair said during the announcement. “They pushed this site for months, if not years. We thought this project would die many times, but they brought it back and brought it back to life. Blair King, Lee Davis, Leslie Sanders, and (numerous) Alabama Power team members touched on this meta project.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey spoke at the announcement of the $800 million Meta Data Center in Montgomery. (Hal Yeager/Government Office)
Alabama Secretary of Commerce Ellen McNair spoke at the announcement of the $800 million Meta Data Center in Montgomery. (Hal Yeager/Government Office)
In an interview after the announcement, McNair once again singled out Alabama Power.
“I want to thank Alabama Power for their excellent leadership on this matter,” she said. “This project really requires a huge amount of power, and that's a big requirement. They've made great progress.”
Meta's Brad Davis also acknowledged Alabama Power in an interview with Alabama News Center.
“They have been great partners throughout this period,” he said. “That's obviously a critical component. We need to keep this data center online to serve billions of people around the world, and we're confident we can do that in Montgomery. ”
Brad Davis, director of community and economic development for Meta, speaks at the announcement of the $800 million Meta Data Center in Montgomery. (Hal Yeager/Government Office)
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey spoke at the announcement of the $800 million Meta Data Center in Montgomery. (Hal Yeager/Government Office)
Montgomery Mayor Stephen Reed spoke at the announcement of the $800 million Meta Data Center in Montgomery. (Hal Yeager/Government Office)
Lee Davis, Alabama Power's senior vice president of customer solutions and business development, said Meta's second choice of Alabama is a result of not only the state but also Alabama Power's high reliability at scale. He said it also speaks volumes about its ability to provide energy.
“I’m so excited for a company like Meta to be announcing today,” she said. “Today is a big day for the state, a big day for Alabama Power Company, and a big day for the city of Montgomery.”
The team included the Department of Commerce, Governor Ivey, Alabama Power, as well as the City of Montgomery, Montgomery County, and the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce.
One of the surprising factors that played a key role in Meta's landing was the new facility at Montgomery Whitewater where the announcement was made.
The Meta team was interested in this project even before it was completed.
“At the end of 2022, Ellen McNair called me and said, 'I'd like you to meet some people at the construction site in Whitewater.'” I said, “Okay, who are they?” Ta. She said, “I can't tell you.” “So where did they come from?” I said. She said, 'I can't say,''' Montgomery County Commission Chairman Doug Singleton said.
Singleton said he came across a bus full of young professionals at a construction site.
“I told them that day, 'If I have one wish, it's that I'll see you again someday,'” Singleton said.
That day was Thursday.
This is the kind of activity officials believed Montgomery Whitewater would create in the river region, but many are surprised it's happening so quickly.
“As you can see, they chose the Montgomery Whitewater facility as the location to make the opening announcement,” said Leslie Sanders, vice president of Alabama Power's southern division. “Actually, they've been to this facility about four times. They're all planning to go rafting this afternoon.”
RELATED: Montgomery Whitewater catalyzes growth in Alabama's river region
Since opening a year ago, the facility has served as a venue for school field trips and STEM education, and has already hosted Olympic trials in canoe slalom and kayak cross, Sanders said.
Sanders said that in addition to Mehta, people looking for economic development are also visiting the facility because it speaks to the area's commitment to quality of life.
“This is the most technologically advanced whitewater facility in the country, so something like that makes Meta stop and look at it and say, 'This is a progressive city, this is a progressive county, this is a progressive state.' I say that,” she said. she said. “Combined with the best partners like Alabama Power Company, it makes a compelling case.”