Meta and BlackRock have announced a strategic venture to develop a data centre campus in El Paso, Texas, currently under construction with one gigawatt of compute capacity. Meta will be the initial sole occupant upon completion and expects to bring capacity online in 2028. BlackRock, alongside Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and HPS Investment Partners, seeks to complement Meta Compute’s strategy. Meta is investing US$10 billion into the campus, supporting more than 4,000 construction jobs at peak and 300 operational jobs once complete, with 2,300 workers currently on site. Meta has partnered with local nonprofits for water restoration projects amid Texas resident concerns over water planning. The Houston Advanced Research Center found data centres could use as much as 2.7% of the state’s total water by 2030. Meta also granted $500,000 to El Paso public schools for workforce development. Funds managed by BlackRock will own an 80% interest in the venture, while Meta will retain the remaining 20% ownership.