Meta Eyes $200 Billion AI Data Center Project: Report

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Meta, plans to invest $200 billion in a new data centre to enhance its artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives as reported by The Information.

According to Forbes, The report mentions CEOs of Meta have said they are looking to get the project moving along, and further have suggested Louisiana, Wyoming, and Texas as possible locations. Senior Meta executives have already visited the sites this month, and developers of the data center have been briefed about the project. This shows that the plans are moving ahead swiftly.

Notwithstanding, Messages claim that a Meta spokesperson refuted the claim alleging The Information and said the company publicly released information concerning the expenses and plans associated with the data center’s spending. Anything beyond that is ‘pure speculation’.” Last month Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated in an interview that the company intends to spend $65 billion to broaden the scope of their AI infrastructure.

Investments by tech giants in data centres. 

Meta's decision to pour vast sums of money into data centers is inline with the trend where tech goliaths are allocating significant budgets towards data centers specifically for future AI utilization. Microsoft has recently disclosed their intention to invest approximately $80 billion over the next couple of years for data center construction. In 2025, Amazon plans to spend $100 billion, eclipsing their initial projection of $75 billion for 2024.

Apple has also started the construction of another factory in Houston, Texas which would be responsible for the creation of AI servers for the company's data centers. It is anticipated that production will begin later this year and the facility will be operational by 2026. This step is a part of Apple’s overall strategy to escalate investment in the U.S. to over $500 billion. The company intends to increase its Data Center footprint and plans to add 20,000 jobs in research and development in the next four years. 

Alongside, Google keeps on broadening the reach of its data center across the globe and made recent moves into super energy parks which will supply power to its data centers. The company is reported to be working with Intersect Power and TPG Rise Climate to build large energy facilities next to its campuses.