Meta begins $1 billion data center construction in Tulsa, Oklahoma to secure AI computing power

Meta started building a new data center in Tulsa, Oklahoma valued at over $1 billion — part of a race among Big Tech companies to own the physical infrastructure (servers, cooling systems, power supply) needed to run the AI models that power their products.

The Tulsa facility will create 1,000+ construction jobs during building and 100 permanent operational jobs afterward, bringing significant employment to the region — but the data center will also consume substantial electricity, adding to environmental concerns that are increasingly drawing pushback from activist groups.

For business users and students, this investment signals Meta's confidence that AI will remain central to its future — meaning the company is betting heavily on making AI features faster and more capable across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and new products, rather than relying on rented computing power from cloud providers.