Jacobs Appointed Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management Lead for Hut 8 AI Data Center

Rhea-AI Summary

Jacobs (NYSE: J) has been selected by Hut 8 (NASDAQ: HUT) to provide Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) services for the River Bend AI data center in Louisiana.

The facility is leased under a 15-year, $7.0 billion lease for 245 MW of IT capacity and anchors a larger planned AI campus. The initial data hall is scheduled for completion and commissioning in Q1 2027, with additional halls coming online through 2027. Jacobs cites its global scale (~$12 billion revenue, ~43,000 staff) and recent delivery experience on large advanced facilities.

Positive

• Signed a 15-year lease valued at $7.0 billion
• Project provides 245 MW of IT capacity
• Initial data hall targeted for completion in Q1 2027
• Leverages Jacobs scale: ~$12 billion revenue and ~43,000 staff

Negative

• Project subject to forward-looking risks including timing and funding
• Outcome may be affected by legislative or tax changes referenced by management

News Market Reaction – HUT

+0.12%

23 alerts

+0.12% News Effect

+3.3% Peak in 1 hr 54 min

+$8M Valuation Impact

$6.77B Market Cap

0.3x Rel. Volume

On the day this news was published, HUT gained 0.12%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +3.3% during that session. Our momentum scanner triggered 23 alerts that day, indicating elevated trading interest and price volatility. This price movement added approximately $8M to the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $6.77B at that time.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Advancing high-performance computing infrastructure in North America

DALLAS, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE: J) has been selected by Hut 8 (NASDAQ: HUT), an energy infrastructure platform, to deliver Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) services for its River Bend data center in Louisiana.

The data center is leased under a 15-year, $7.0 billion lease for 245 megawatts of IT capacity and anchors a larger planned campus that is poised to become one of the largest AI and high-performance computing developments in North America. The region's power dense utility infrastructure enables reliable, high-quality delivery with the speed, flexibility and consistency required at this scale.

Jacobs Chair and CEO Bob Pragada said: "Jacobs brings decades of excellence, delivering complex advanced facilities and critical infrastructure for some of the world's largest data center, semiconductor and life sciences clients. Our collaboration with Hut 8 reflects a shared commitment to setting a new benchmark for AI infrastructure – with safety, quality and disciplined delivery at the forefront."

Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot said: "Execution discipline is critical at the scale and complexity of River Bend. We believe Jacobs brings the experience and rigor required to deliver complex infrastructure on schedule and to the highest standards of quality and safety. Their role as EPCM partner reinforces a partnership-driven execution model designed to de-risk delivery and establish a repeatable framework as we scale across our broader development pipeline."

The initial data hall at River Bend is scheduled for completion and commissioning in Q1 2027, with additional data halls scheduled to come online over the balance of 2027.

Jacobs delivers high value, advanced manufacturing for data centers, semiconductors and life sciences – including the recent $3.2B end-to-end cell culture facility, the largest of its kind in North America. This award further expands our data center portfolio where we're providing EPCM services for a confidential high performance computing facility in the Southeastern U.S., delivering quantum computing programs for PsiQuantum in Chicago and Brisbane, and advancing AI ready infrastructure through NVIDIA's Omniverse Blueprint for AI factory digital twins. At Start Campus's SINES DC Campus in Portugal, we are delivering a 1.2-gigawatt AI scale data center powered entirely by renewable energy and cooled with a zero-water system, underscoring Jacobs' ability to support the next generation of sustainable, high density compute environments.

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow – delivering outcomes and solutions for the world's most complex challenges. With approximately $12 billion in annual revenue and a talent force of almost 43,000, we provide end-to-end services in advanced manufacturing, cities & places, energy, environmental, life sciences, transportation and water. From advisory and consulting, feasibility, planning, design, program and lifecycle management, we're creating a more connected and sustainable world. See how at jacobs.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook. 

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not directly relate to any historical or current fact. When used herein, words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "plans," "intends," "future," "will," "would," "could," "can," "may," and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations, as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, uncertainties as to, the timing of the award of projects and funding and potential changes to the amounts provided for under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other legislation and executive orders related to governmental spending, including any directive to federal agencies to reduce federal spending or the size of the federal workforce, and changes in U.S. or foreign tax laws, including the tax legislation enacted in the U.S. in July 2025, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances, including the impact of, and changes to tariffs and retaliatory tariffs or trade policies, that may adversely impact our future financial positions or results of operations, as well as general economic conditions, including inflation and the actions taken by monetary authorities in response to inflation, changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, changes in capital markets, the possibility of a recession or economic downturn, and increased uncertainty and risks, including policy risks and potential civil unrest, relating to the outcome of elections across our key markets and elevated geopolitical tension and conflicts, among others. For a description of these and additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.

For press/media inquiries:
media@jacobs.com  

 

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SOURCE Jacobs

FAQ

What did Jacobs announce about the River Bend AI data center (NYSE: J)?

Jacobs was selected as EPCM lead for Hut 8's River Bend data center in Louisiana.

How large is the River Bend commitment and what capacity does it cover for HUT?

The site is leased under a 15-year, $7.0 billion lease covering 245 MW of IT capacity.

When is the River Bend initial data hall expected to be completed (J/HUT)?

The initial data hall is scheduled for completion and commissioning in Q1 2027.

What experience and scale does Jacobs cite to support the River Bend award (J)?

Jacobs cites recent large facility deliveries and its scale of about $12 billion revenue and ~43,000 staff.

Does the announcement note risks that could affect the River Bend project timeline or costs?

Yes; management warned of forward-looking uncertainties including timing, funding, legislative and economic factors.