Meta has officially brought its Kuna, Idaho, data center online, marking the company's second AI-optimized facility in its global fleet. The campus, which represents a total investment of $1.2 billion, is now actively serving traffic, according to Gary Demasi, who announced the milestone on LinkedIn alongside a package of community investments tied to the launch.

A Second AI-Optimized Facility in the Fleet

The Kuna facility joins Meta's growing infrastructure network as the company scales its artificial intelligence operations. Meta broke ground on the site in 2022, and the project has since grown into one of the most significant technology infrastructure investments in Idaho's history.

Demasi described the Kuna campus as part of a long-term commitment to building AI infrastructure in partnership with host communities, with planning that extends years ahead, involving utilities and local systems.

The data center is the second in Meta's fleet to carry an AI-optimized designation, reflecting the company's broader push to build facilities specifically designed to support the computational demands of modern AI workloads.

Over $200,000 in New Grants for Kuna Schools

Alongside the announcement that the facility had begun serving traffic, Meta revealed a new grant of more than USD 200,000 to the Kuna School District.

The funding is directed toward several specific initiatives, including a new robotics and engineering lab at Swan Falls High School, preschool tuition scholarships for low-income families, and upgraded hardware for after-school STEM programs across six elementary schools in the district.

The latest grant brings Meta's total direct giving to Ada County-area schools and nonprofits to USD 1.5 million since construction began in 2022. Community voices captured in video remarks associated with the announcement credited Meta's educational investments with helping prepare students for workforce entry and creating hands-on STEM opportunities that would not otherwise exist. Representatives from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Ada County also highlighted a Meta STEM Lab as a significant resource for young people in the region.

Part of a $1 Billion National Community Investment Fund

The Kuna grants sit within a larger national initiative Meta is calling the Future is for Everyone Fund, described as a $1 billion commitment to invest directly in U.S. communities where the company owns and operates data centers.

Kuna is among the communities included in that program.

Demasi framed the fund as an extension of the company's philosophy that a data center should leave a community measurably stronger than it found it.

Local officials and civic leaders speaking at the announcement praised Meta's approach as going beyond typical corporate presence. Idaho state representatives noted that Meta's investment demonstrated the state's ability to compete for large-scale technology and innovation projects on a national stage.

Water Infrastructure and Watershed Restoration

Water management has been a central element of Meta's approach to the Kuna facility. The data center uses a closed-loop, liquid-cooled system that the company says requires zero water for cooling for most of the year.

Meta also invested more than USD 100 million in a dedicated water and wastewater system for the City of Kuna, which Demasi said was deliberately sized to create capacity for new residential and commercial growth beyond the data center's own needs.

In addition to infrastructure, Meta is supporting Trout Unlimited in a fish passage restoration project around Barber Dam.

That effort is designed to return approximately 149 million gallons of water per year to the local watershed. Demasi cited the project as part of Meta's stated goal to achieve water-positive status by 2030.

Renewable Energy and a New Green Tariff for Idaho

On the energy side, Meta states that its electricity use at the Kuna facility is matched with 100 percent clean and renewable energy. Three Meta-supported energy projects are collectively adding 645 megawatts of new renewable generation capacity in Ada County.

The company also worked with Idaho Power to establish a green tariff under a program called Clean Energy Your Way, which Demasi described as a first for the state of Idaho.

The tariff structure is now available to any large energy customer in Idaho, not solely Meta.

Demasi emphasized that Meta pays the full cost of its energy use and funds the infrastructure upgrades required to support it, a point he appeared to raise in the context of broader public discussions about whether large technology companies adequately share the costs of grid expansion.

Wildlife Research and Long-Term Scientific Partnerships

Beyond direct community grants, Meta's presence in Kuna has supported ecological research tied to the data center site. Remarks included in the announcement referenced an ongoing study of American Kestrels, described as North America's smallest falcon, in the area surrounding the facility.

Researchers noted that long-term corporate investment in such work enables the collection of data that short-term studies cannot produce, and that Meta's involvement was helping cultivate a next generation of scientists through STEM-connected research partnerships.