Odaily Planet Daily News: Officials in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, have approved a zoning change for an artificial intelligence data center developed by Bitcoin mining company Hut 8, costing $2.5 billion. Local media reported that the parish's planning and zoning commission unanimously approved Hut 8's project plan on Monday. The data center will be built on a 611-acre plot of land and is expected to bring permanent jobs and significant construction-related opportunities to the area. Hut 8's senior vice president of data center development, Riley Trettel, stated that the company is working on an 'aggressive timeline' to complete the project. Trettel added that the facility will be leased to an undisclosed tenant, who plans to purchase $10 billion worth of data center hardware. The first phase of construction will include two buildings totaling 450,000 square feet to house data servers. The first building is expected to be operational by the end of 2025, with the second phase planned for completion in 2026. Documents submitted to local officials indicate that the initial phase will require 300 megawatts (MW) of power, with future expansions potentially raising energy demands to over 1 gigawatt (GW).

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