Meta's $800 Million Data Center in Kuna, Idaho — And Why It Matters for the Treasure Valley

In 2022, a small city of about 25,000 people in southwestern Idaho got a phone call that would change it forever.

Meta — the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — had picked Kuna, Idaho, as the home of its newest data center. An $800 million investment. A 960,000-square-foot facility on 485 acres. More than 1,400 construction workers on-site at peak. And a company commitment so serious that Meta is also funding a $70 million water and sewer infrastructure system for the city, then donating it to Kuna to own and operate.

As of 2026, the facility is approaching completion. And Kuna is not the same city it was four years ago.

Why Idaho? Why Kuna?

The short answer is that Idaho made it easy. Favorable tax incentives for data centers — including a sales tax exemption on equipment — combined with available land, relatively low electricity rates, and a state government that actively courts business investment made the Treasure Valley an obvious target.

Kuna itself offered something that crowded urban markets couldn't: hundreds of acres of buildable land close to the I-84 corridor, with straightforward logistics and a cooperative local government. Mayor Joe Stear had been actively courting major investment for years. When Meta landed, it validated the strategy.

For perspective: this is Meta's 15th U.S. data center and its first in Idaho. The company redesigned the Kuna facility mid-construction to accommodate AI workloads — installing an increased level of flexibility that standard data centers don't require. That's not a minor adjustment. It means Meta sees Kuna as a long-term AI infrastructure investment, not just a storage facility.

Kuna: From Quiet Suburb to Investment Magnet

The Meta effect on Kuna has been immediate and compounding. In April 2025, the Kuna City Council approved a second massive data center project — the Gemstone Technology Park — on 620 acres about six miles west of the Meta site. Developer Diode Ventures is projecting more than $1 billion in investment, creating 800 to 1,200 construction jobs and another 100 permanent positions.

That means Kuna is now looking at nearly $2 billion in data center investment in the space of a few years. And low electricity rates, available land, and Idaho's tax structure mean there's no particular reason it should stop there.

For homebuyers and relocators, this matters because Kuna — once dismissed as a distant Canyon County suburb with not much going on — is now a city with serious economic momentum, a growing infrastructure base, and Meta's direct investment in its water and sewer systems. The fundamentals are being laid for a very different kind of community.

The Treasure Valley Tech Investment Wave Is Real

Taken together, Micron ($45 billion in Boise), Meta ($800 million in Kuna), and the Gemstone Technology Park (another $1 billion in Kuna) represent more than $46 billion in confirmed tech infrastructure investment in and around the Treasure Valley. That's not a rumor or a projection. That's permitted and under construction.

For anyone evaluating where to put down roots for the next decade or two, the investment picture in the Treasure Valley is genuinely one of the strongest in the Mountain West. This is a region building a real economic foundation — not just absorbing people from other places, but generating its own gravity.

I work with clients every week who say they've been watching Boise for a few years, waiting to see if the growth was real. It's real. And the window to get ahead of the next wave of demand is right now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Meta building in Kuna, Idaho?

Meta is completing an $800 million data center in Kuna, Idaho — a 960,000 square foot facility on 485 acres that will serve as Meta's 15th U.S. data center. The facility was redesigned mid-construction to support AI workloads and is expected to be operational by the end of 2026. Meta also funded a $70 million water and sewer system for the City of Kuna, which will be owned and operated by the city.

How many jobs will Meta's Kuna data center create?

The Meta facility is expected to employ approximately 100 permanent operational workers when complete, plus it supported more than 1,400 construction jobs at peak. A second data center project — the Gemstone Technology Park — was approved by the Kuna City Council in April 2025, expected to add another 800–1,200 construction jobs and 100 more permanent positions.

Is Kuna, Idaho a good place to buy a home?

Kuna has undergone significant transformation over the past several years — from a quiet Canyon County suburb to a city attracting major technology investment. Home prices in Canyon County remain the most affordable in the Treasure Valley, with a median around $435,000. For buyers who want to get into the Treasure Valley market at a lower price point while positioning themselves near significant economic growth, Kuna and Canyon County are worth a serious look.

Why are tech companies choosing Idaho over other states?

Idaho offers a combination of factors that appeal to large tech infrastructure projects: favorable tax incentives (including a sales tax exemption on data center equipment), available land at reasonable prices, low electricity rates, a cooperative state and local government, and a growing skilled workforce. Idaho's business-friendly posture and quality of life also makes it easier to attract the talent these facilities need.

Ready to make the move to the Treasure Valley? I'm Rebel Ann Mueller with Better Homes & Gardens 43N Real Estate, and helping West Coast families relocate to Boise is what I do every day. Call or text me at 208-484-4839, email RebelAnn@43RE.com, or visit SheSellsBoise.com. The conversation is always free.

About Rebel Ann Mueller  |  Rebel Ann Mueller is a licensed real estate professional with Better Homes & Gardens 43N Real Estate, specializing in relocation and senior downsizing in the Treasure Valley. She helps families from California, Oregon, and Washington navigate the move to Boise every day. Visit SheSellsBoise.com or call 208-484-4839.