Meta is reportedly exploring plans to establish extensive data centers for its AI ambitions. Sources say discussions focus on sites in Louisiana, Wyoming, or Texas, with investment reaching $200 billion. Despite this, a Meta spokesperson dismissed these reports as “pure speculation,” emphasizing that existing data center plans are publicly available.
Adding to the intrigue, Mark Zuckerberg recently announced Meta’s intention to allocate $60 billion to a data center in Louisiana this year. This center will support LLAMA 4, Meta’s latest AI model, and is expected to be “so large it would cover a significant part of Manhattan.”
The statement further claimed, “This is a massive effort, and over the coming years it will drive our core products and business, unlock historic innovation, and extend American technology leaders.” Such developments highlight Meta’s ambitious approach in the AI realm.
In the broader context, competition in AI is heating up. Microsoft has recently declared an $80 billion investment in AI data centers for 2025. Notably, over half of these funds will remain in the US, signaling confidence in the domestic economy. Commenting on the global AI race, Brad Smith, Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President, emphasized the distinctiveness of American AI products and their superior trust factor compared to Chinese alternatives.
The push towards AI leadership involves aggressive capital expenditure from tech giants such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta. This year’s collective investment is estimated to surpass $320 billion.
