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Inside River Bend: Hut 8's Anthropic-linked AI data center in West Feliciana nears 2027 start (2026-10-08)

Hut 8 gave officials and media a first look at its $10 billion West Feliciana Parish campus this week as a Phase II zoning request drew pushback. Coverage date: 2026-10-08.

October 08, 2026·LouisianAI daily feature loopResearch-loop generateddaily-feature-articlelouisiana-aisource-backedfeature-topic-datacenter-energy

This brief was drafted by the LouisianAI research loop from the cited source evidence and validated before publication. Every material claim links back to the source listed under Evidence Used; treat uncertainty notes as part of the record.

On Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, Hut 8 hosted state and local officials at its River Bend data center campus in West Feliciana Parish, and a small group of invited media got a rare look at the AI facility while it is still under construction. [S3] https://www.wbrz.com/news/wbrz-state-and-local-officials-tour-hut-8-construction-site-as-data-center-eyes-2027-completion/ [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic The campus near St. Francisville is part of a partnership with Fluidstack and Anthropic, which Axios New Orleans reported will operate and use the center's computing power. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic WAFB reported that the facility will serve as a processing hub for Anthropic's Claude AI model. [S2] https://www.wafb.com/2026/10/05/first-look-west-felicianas-data-center/

Axios described River Bend as a $10 billion project and noted that, of the four data center projects touted by Louisiana Economic Development, it appears on track to be the first to turn the lights on, though it is not the largest. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic

What is being built

By Axios' rough estimate, the central data center building covers about 14 acres of a 627-acre site, and it is divided into four data halls plus administrative space. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic The Advocate reported that the first phase includes a 600,000-square-foot data center and that at least two other buildings may be added in the future. [S4] https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/west_feliciana/st-francisville-data-center-construction-river-bend-hut8/article_4e6499a4-39b5-4137-9a32-b1bfd37a4dc4.html

"This first building is 330 megawatts. It's not the largest campus in the world," Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot told Axios. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic That figure matches the initial 330 megawatts of utility capacity Hut 8 said it had secured with Entergy Louisiana when it announced the campus' anchor lease on Dec. 17, 2025. [S5] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hut-8-signs-15-year-245-mw-ai-data-center-lease-at-river-bend-campus-with-total-contract-value-of-7-0-billion-302644600.html

That announcement described a 15-year, $7.0 billion lease with Fluidstack for 245 megawatts of IT capacity, with Google providing a financial backstop covering the lease payments and related pass-through obligations. [S5] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hut-8-signs-15-year-245-mw-ai-data-center-lease-at-river-bend-campus-with-total-contract-value-of-7-0-billion-302644600.html Hut 8 said three five-year renewal options could raise the potential contract value to about $17.7 billion, and that Fluidstack holds a right of first offer on up to 1,000 additional megawatts of IT capacity in future phases, subject to expanding power at the site. [S5] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hut-8-signs-15-year-245-mw-ai-data-center-lease-at-river-bend-campus-with-total-contract-value-of-7-0-billion-302644600.html

On the ground, Axios reported a substation and switchyard to manage Entergy Louisiana power as it comes on site and to isolate the data center from the regional grid, plus a trestle bridge system carrying 762,000 linear feet of cable to the building. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic WAFB reported that the new on-site substation is fully funded by the company. [S2] https://www.wafb.com/2026/10/05/first-look-west-felicianas-data-center/

Water and cooling

Projects of similar size elsewhere in the country have raised concerns over groundwater use and rising electric bills, WAFB noted, and Hut 8 emphasized its cooling design during the tour. [S2] https://www.wafb.com/2026/10/05/first-look-west-felicianas-data-center/ Axios reported that the facility will use 1.5 million gallons of propylene glycol in a closed-loop system, without drawing on local water. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic The Advocate reported that the coolant can circulate for about four to seven years before it is taken off-site to be cleaned, and that the campus will not pull water from the nearby Mississippi River. [S4] https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/west_feliciana/st-francisville-data-center-construction-river-bend-hut8/article_4e6499a4-39b5-4137-9a32-b1bfd37a4dc4.html Hut 8 senior director of public affairs Hailey Miller told the paper the only local water use will be for things like restrooms, about 10,000 gallons a day. [S4] https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/west_feliciana/st-francisville-data-center-construction-river-bend-hut8/article_4e6499a4-39b5-4137-9a32-b1bfd37a4dc4.html

Timeline and jobs

Reported timelines vary. Axios reported that about 1,200 construction workers are working around the clock to bring the data center online by the first quarter of 2027, with full completion expected throughout next year. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic The Advocate reported that the first of four data halls is expected by early 2027, with all of Phase I ready in the next 14 to 18 months. [S4] https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/west_feliciana/st-francisville-data-center-construction-river-bend-hut8/article_4e6499a4-39b5-4137-9a32-b1bfd37a4dc4.html WAFB said the center is expected to be operational by the end of 2027. [S2] https://www.wafb.com/2026/10/05/first-look-west-felicianas-data-center/ Hut 8's December 2025 announcement targeted completion and commissioning of the initial data hall in the second quarter of 2027. [S5] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hut-8-signs-15-year-245-mw-ai-data-center-lease-at-river-bend-campus-with-total-contract-value-of-7-0-billion-302644600.html

Permanent job figures also differ by source. Hut 8's December 2025 release projected 75 or more direct new jobs in West Feliciana Parish and 190 or more indirect and induced jobs. [S5] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hut-8-signs-15-year-245-mw-ai-data-center-lease-at-river-bend-campus-with-total-contract-value-of-7-0-billion-302644600.html Axios reported this week that Hut 8 anticipates about 75 full-time jobs, WBRZ reported that Hut 8 expects 200 permanent positions, and The Advocate quoted Miller as saying there will be about 250. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic [S3] https://www.wbrz.com/news/wbrz-state-and-local-officials-tour-hut-8-construction-site-as-data-center-eyes-2027-completion/ [S4] https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/west_feliciana/st-francisville-data-center-construction-river-bend-hut8/article_4e6499a4-39b5-4137-9a32-b1bfd37a4dc4.html

West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard told WAFB the data center will bring in $90 million in tax revenue every year. [S2] https://www.wafb.com/2026/10/05/first-look-west-felicianas-data-center/

Politics on display

Gov. Jeff Landry and Donald Trump Jr. attended Monday's event. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic "What we're doing today is not just breaking ground on a new project; we're literally breaking ground on Louisiana's future," Landry said, according to WBRZ. [S3] https://www.wbrz.com/news/wbrz-state-and-local-officials-tour-hut-8-construction-site-as-data-center-eyes-2027-completion/ In an interview with Axios, Landry called anti-data center sentiment "propaganda built by foreign adversaries." [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic

Hut 8 also stressed that the River Bend deal was struck without nondisclosure agreements. "We never signed an NDA with any of the local or state leaders," Genoot told Axios. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic Miller told WAFB the agreement was reached "in public view." [S2] https://www.wafb.com/2026/10/05/first-look-west-felicianas-data-center/ Landry, whose administration has drawn criticism for using NDAs on other projects, defended them to Axios as a competitive advantage. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic

Not everyone is persuaded. WBRZ reported that groups such as the Louisiana Bucket Brigade worry these projects hold empty promises; the group's director told the station, "It's just the latest in a long line of bad ideas," and called for a moratorium. [S3] https://www.wbrz.com/news/wbrz-state-and-local-officials-tour-hut-8-construction-site-as-data-center-eyes-2027-completion/

Phase II hits a zoning pause

The same Monday night, the West Feliciana Planning and Zoning Commission took up a rezoning request and site plan for Phase II, The Advocate reported. [S4] https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/west_feliciana/st-francisville-data-center-construction-river-bend-hut8/article_4e6499a4-39b5-4137-9a32-b1bfd37a4dc4.html Phase II would develop about 180 acres with two buildings of about 568,000 square feet each, plus substations and a switchyard, and Hut 8 said benefits for residents would include funding about $16 million in water improvements and working with the state transportation department on U.S. 61. [S4] https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/west_feliciana/st-francisville-data-center-construction-river-bend-hut8/article_4e6499a4-39b5-4137-9a32-b1bfd37a4dc4.html Residents and at least one commissioner objected to rezoning land that Hut 8 would not immediately develop, citing proximity to homes and possible noise, and the commission deferred action until the parish attorney can attend. Its next meeting is the first Monday of November. [S4] https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/west_feliciana/st-francisville-data-center-construction-river-bend-hut8/article_4e6499a4-39b5-4137-9a32-b1bfd37a4dc4.html

Why it matters for Louisiana

River Bend is one of several large AI data center projects in the state, alongside an Amazon facility in Shreveport, Applied Digital's center in Rapides Parish and Meta's Hyperion project in Richland Parish, according to Axios. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic As the project that appears closest to switching on, it could serve as an early test of the promises made around water, power, taxes and local hiring. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic Landry told Axios that filling the jobs is "the Achilles heel in all this," and said 70% of those jobs do not require a four-year degree, which he said makes the state's community and technical college programs more important. [S1] https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/10/07/data-center-louisiana-hut-8-anthropic The commission's November meeting is the next public checkpoint on how far the campus will grow. [S4] https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/west_feliciana/st-francisville-data-center-construction-river-bend-hut8/article_4e6499a4-39b5-4137-9a32-b1bfd37a4dc4.html

Evidence Used

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Inside River Bend: Hut 8's Anthropic-linked AI data center in West Feliciana nears 2027 start (2026-10-08) | LouisianAI