Anthropic Secures Major AI Compute Capacity in Louisiana Through Complex Hut 8 Partnership
December 17, 2025
The race to secure specialized infrastructure for artificial intelligence development has led another major tech firm to Louisiana, highlighting the state's growing role as a strategic hub for power-intensive data center projects. This latest deal involves a multi-billion dollar, multi-party agreement that underscores the increasingly complex financial and operational structures underpinning the AI infrastructure boom.
Miami-based digital infrastructure provider Hut 8 announced early Wednesday that it has signed a 15-year, $7 billion agreement with startup Fluidstack to deliver AI data center capacity at the River Bend campus in West Feliciana Parish. The primary end-user of this capacity will be Anthropic, the AI safety and research company behind the Claude family of large language models. In a related and significant financial backing, Google has guaranteed the Fluidstack lease, agreeing to step in should the startup default.
The project, situated on a 611-acre campus just south of St. Francisville, represents a substantial investment in the region. Its first phase will encompass 600,000 square feet of data center space and is designed to draw 330 megawatts of power from a dedicated substation currently under construction. According to West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard, the development is expected to create 1,500 construction jobs and approximately 100 permanent positions upon completion. A finalized tax agreement with the parish is projected to generate up to $90 million in annual revenue for local services.
"I am excited and our whole community has been excited about this possibility for a year," Havard said. "We have a blank canvas. This is a chance for us to be number one in something."
James Bradbury, head of compute at Anthropic, noted the strategic importance of the partnership: "This partnership is an expansion of our existing work with Fluidstack and marks a new opportunity to collaborate with Hut 8 to bring additional capacity online by early 2027. Hut 8’s ability to source and deliver infrastructure at scale provides the runway necessary to continue advancing the capabilities of our models."
The announcement marks the second major AI data center project to land in Louisiana within a year, following a deal finalized last December with Meta for a facility in Richland Parish. While the Hut 8 project is a fraction of the size of Meta's planned 4-million-square-foot, $27 billion-plus complex, it signals a broader trend of tech giants and their partners seeking locations with available power and favorable development conditions. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois emphasized the long-term impact, stating the project "will generate high-wage jobs and create pathways for Louisiana to build long-term careers in the industries of the future."
Source: nola
Anthropic Signs $7 Billion AI Data Center Deal in Louisiana, Backed by Google Guarantee
