Menlo Park, California — Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is committing hundreds of billions of dollars toward artificial intelligence (AI) development. As part of this ambitious plan, the company intends to build a massive data center, one that is nearly as expansive as Manhattan.
Zuckerberg’s remarks signal a significant investment in advancing AI technologies that aim to surpass human capability, a concept frequently referred to as “super-intelligence” or “artificial general intelligence.” Meta joins other major technology firms in aggressively pursuing this frontier, with some tech giants reportedly offering AI researchers multi-million dollar compensation packages, reaching as high as $100 million.
The company’s first major data center, known as Prometheus, is projected to be operational by 2026. Another facility, Hyperion, is designed to scale up to five gigawatts in the coming years. Zuckerberg highlighted the scale of these projects by stating that a single data center would occupy a substantial footprint similar to that of Manhattan.
The tech CEO expressed optimism about Meta’s core advertising business, which generated nearly $165 billion in revenue last year, as a justification for these massive expenditures. “We have the capital from our business to do this,” he affirmed, addressing concerns from investors about the return on such investments.
In an effort to streamline its AI initiatives, Meta recently established a new division dubbed Superintelligence Labs. This reorganization comes in the wake of challenges faced with its open-source Llama 4 model and noticeable departures of key personnel. The company is banking on innovative technologies, including the Meta AI app and advanced advertising tools, to create new revenue streams.
Analysts have noted that AI has already provided a significant boost to Meta’s advertising capabilities, enhancing both the volume and price of ad sales. DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria commented on the aggressive nature of Meta’s AI strategy, emphasizing its potential to strengthen the company’s market position.
In recent weeks, Zuckerberg has personally overseen a high-stakes recruitment effort for Superintelligence Labs, which will be spearheaded by industry veterans Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI, and Nat Friedman, the ex-chief of GitHub. This follows Meta’s notable $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI, reinforcing its commitment to leading the AI charge.
Looking ahead, Meta has increased its capital expenditure forecast for 2025 to between $64 billion and $72 billion, aiming to fortify its competitive edge against rivals such as OpenAI and Google. With these substantial investments, Meta aims to solidify its place at the forefront of AI development and innovation.