BOYCE, La. – Applied Digital Corporation announced during a press conference on Tuesday plans to develop a $3.6 billion artificial intelligence (AI) factory campus in Rapides Parish. Known as Delta Forge 1, the facility is built for large-scale AI training and inference workloads, according to Louisiana Economic Development (LED).
Site development on the data center campus began in January 2026, with initial operations expected to begin in mid-2027.
Cleco will provide power to support Applied Digital's data center campus.
The new campus will directly support 200 new full-time, on-site jobs. The project will create over 1,000 construction jobs at peak construction. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 218 indirect new jobs, for a total of 418 potential new job opportunities in the Central Region.
"Louisiana is leading America's industrial renaissance while staying committed to the principles outlined in President Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge, protecting reliability, affordability and the long-term interests of consumers," according to Governor Jeff Landry. "Global companies are choosing Louisiana because they see a state where every region is prepared to deliver at scale, with the infrastructure, workforce and leadership needed to support the technologies and industries shaping the future economy."
Applied Digital qualified for Louisiana's state and local sales and use tax exemption on qualifying purchases or leases of data center equipment, established in Act 730 of the 2024 Regular Legislative Session, according to LED.
Click here to watch the press conference.
