12/17/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/17/2025 10:36
WEST FELICIANA PARISH, La. - Hut 8, an energy infrastructure platform integrating power, digital infrastructure and computing at scale to fuel next-generation, energy-intensive use cases, announced it will develop the River Bend artificial intelligence (AI) data center campus in Southeast Louisiana. The project represents a up to $10 billion investment in Phase I, including Hut 8's investment in data center infrastructure.
At the peak of construction on Phase I, Hut 8 anticipates approximately 1,000 construction workers on-site. Once operational, Phase I of the River Bend campus is expected to create at least 75 direct new jobs with employment expected to expand significantly as future phases of the campus are developed. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 193 indirect new jobs, for a total of 268 potential new job opportunities in the Capital Region.
"Louisiana continues to win," Governor Jeff Landry said. "Hut 8's investment in River Bend builds on our track record of attracting global-scale projects in the industries of the future. As the campus grows, it will further cement Louisiana's position as a national leader in energy and innovation, creating thousands of jobs and reaffirming our ability to compete and win on the global stage."
Fluidstack, supported by a financial backstop from Google covering all lease and related pass-through obligations, will be a tenant at the site, which has the potential to scale to up to 1,000 MW of utility capacity, and positions Louisiana as a long-term hub for high-performance computing infrastructure.
"River Bend is a testament to the power of partnership," Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot said. "This project was made possible by the leadership of state and local leaders, the commitment of Entergy, and the determination of the people of Louisiana. Together, we will build infrastructure that supports the world's most advanced technological applications at scale while setting a standard for how utilities, governments, and innovators can drive lasting economic and technological progress."
Hut 8 tapped Entergy Louisiana to provide an initial 330 megawatts (MW) of utility capacity to support 245 MW of critical IT load for Fluidstack, a leading AI cloud platform for training and inference. This agreement was contemplated in Entergy's more recent outlooks provided in November 2025.
"Energy is one of Louisiana's greatest competitive advantages," President and CEO of Entergy Louisiana Phillip May said. "Our ability to deliver reliable, scalable power while maintaining some of the lowest electricity rates in the country gives companies like Hut 8 the confidence to invest here, fueling economic growth and creating long-term value for our customers and communities."
The State of Louisiana has positioned itself as a premier destination for global-scale projects like River Bend through a competitive portfolio of incentive programs. Hut 8 is expected to participate in Louisiana's state and local sales and use tax rebate on qualifying purchases or leases of data center equipment, established in Act 730 of the 2024 Regular Legislative Session. Hut 8 also plans to participate in the state's Quality Jobs program.
"River Bend demonstrates that Louisiana's economic strategy is taking our state from plans to progress," LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said. "This project will generate high-wage jobs and create pathways for Louisianans to build long-term careers in the industries of the future. It's a clear example of how aligning policy, partnership and people translates into lasting opportunity."
Construction on the data center is already underway with operations expected to commence by the second quarter of 2027.
"West Feliciana Parish is proud to welcome Hut 8 and River Bend to our community," said Parish President Kenny Havard. "This is a once-in-a-generation project that will bring jobs, opportunity, and investment to our parish for decades to come. It shows what's possible when local, state, and industry partners work together toward a shared vision of growth and progress."
Hut 8's River Bend campus builds on Louisiana's momentum of landmark economic development projects over the past year that have reshaped the state's economy and strengthening its global competitiveness. In the past year, Louisiana has secured milestone investments including Meta's $10 billion AI data center in Northeast Louisiana and Hyundai Steel Company's nearly $6 billion investment to establish its first North American manufacturing facility in Donaldsonville.
About Hut 8
Hut 8 Corp. is an energy infrastructure platform integrating power, digital infrastructure, and compute at scale to fuel next-generation, energy-intensive use cases. We take a power-first, innovation-driven approach to developing, commercializing, and operating the critical infrastructure that underpins the breakthrough technologies of today and tomorrow. Our platform spans 1,020 megawatts of energy capacity under management and 1,530 megawatts of energy capacity under development across 19 sites in the United States and Canada: five Bitcoin mining, hosting, and Managed Services sites in Alberta, New York, and Texas; five high performance computing data centers in British Columbia and Ontario; four power generation assets in Ontario; one non-operational site in Alberta; and four sites under development across Louisiana, Texas, and Illinois. For more information, visit hut8.com and follow us on X at @Hut8Corp.
About Entergy Louisiana
Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers in 58 parishes and natural gas service to more than 94,000 customers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Entergy Louisiana is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), an integrated Entergy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 24,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 5,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,000 employees.
About the Louisiana 100 Plan
The Louisiana 100 Plan is Entergy Louisiana's bold, decade-long commitment to power progress across the state in honor of a century of service. Entergy has outlined six strategic goals focused on affordability, grid resilience, economic growth, job creation, community investment and volunteerism. Through this plan, Entergy aims to help keep residential electric rates low, strengthen infrastructure to withstand extreme weather, attract new industry and jobs and invest $100 million in Louisiana communities. The Louisiana 100 Plan is a clear roadmap for building a stronger, more resilient Louisiana learn more at entergy-louisiana.com/100-plan.
About LED
Louisiana Economic Development is responsible for driving capital investment, job creation and economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana and employers of all sizes. Explore how LED is positioning Louisiana to win at OpportunityLouisiana.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Gautier Lemyze-Young, Hut 8
[email protected]
Brandon Scardigli, Entergy
[email protected]
Emma Wagner, LED
[email protected]
912.467.2117