Marsh, the global insurance broker and risk advisory business, has provided Meta with project risk analysis and insurance services for a new data centre development in Texas, supporting the technology company’s continued expansion of its AI infrastructure.
The work relates to Meta’s planned data centre campus in El Paso, Texas, which the company recently announced will be developed through a strategic venture with BlackRock.
The project brings together Meta’s experience in designing, constructing and operating large-scale data centres with BlackRock’s infrastructure investment expertise to support the delivery of additional computing capacity for AI development.
Marsh said its involvement highlights the increasing importance of risk management as investment in digital infrastructure accelerates. The company said organisations involved in developing data centres must manage a range of interconnected risks, including those linked to construction, energy supply, technology requirements, financing and long-term operations.
Mike Mathews, Marsh’s Global Digital Infrastructure Practice Leader, commented: “By 2030, an estimated USD $3 trillion will be invested in digital infrastructure worldwide – around one-third in brick-and-mortar data centers and the rest in enabling equipment, infrastructure, and services.”
Mathews added: “Many operational teams in this vital industry are forced to navigate a labyrinth of overlapping risk exposures. Our goal is to help our clients navigate a complex landscape of interconnected and accelerating risks with more clarity, to better protect capital and work together with the goal of making all the pieces fit.”
According to Meta, the El Paso data centre campus is currently under construction and is expected to provide 1 gigawatt of compute capacity to support the company’s AI technologies and wider business operations. Meta said the venture is expected to begin bringing capacity online in 2028.
Meta said the development represents an investment of more than USD $10 billion in the El Paso area, supporting more than 4,000 construction jobs at peak and approximately 300 operational roles once completed. The company also said the project forms part of wider workforce development and community investment initiatives in Texas.
Under the venture structure announced by Meta, funds managed by BlackRock will own an 80% interest in the project, while Meta will retain a 20% stake.
Meta said the partners have committed to fund approximately USD $14 billion in development costs covering the data centre buildings, power infrastructure, cooling systems and connectivity assets required for the campus.
