Meta has opened its first artificial intelligence-optimized data center in the world in Temple, Texas, a 760,000 square foot facility between Austin and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The center is now operational, joining Meta’s two other Texas data centers: one in Fort Worth that broke ground more than 10 years ago and supports Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and other services, and one in El Paso that broke ground last fall and remains under construction. The El Paso project will also support AI workloads once complete. Meta says the Temple center’s AI optimization supports next-generation AI systems, including hardware equipment, network design and cooling systems. At the grand opening, Meta’s Bradley Davis said the facility uses a water-efficient, closed-loop liquid cooling system that will use zero water for the majority of the year. Meta also stated the center will use clean energy it pays for and will add enough of that energy to the state’s power grid to match its power use, meaning electricity costs will not be passed to nearby residents. However, local opposition remains. Joe Royer, president of grassroots group Temple Stands Together, cited concerns about water, power, rising surrounding temperatures and the heat island, saying “Meta has a very powerful marketing engine, and we found a lot of holes in their promises.” Meta says it has been transparent and will release sustainability reports in the fall.