Meta to spend hundreds of billions on massive AI data centres
Zuckerberg said the projects, with some covering areas “the size of Manhattan”, will be funded by Meta’s $165 billion ad business. Illustration: The Daily Rays
Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that Meta will invest hundreds of billions to build massive AI data centres, including two named Prometheus (launching 2026) and Hyperion (scaling to 5 gigawatts). The move escalates Meta’s competition with OpenAI and Google in developing advanced AI.
Zuckerberg said the projects, with some covering areas “the size of Manhattan”, will be funded by Meta’s $165 billion ad business, according to a recent report by Reuters. The company recently reorganised its AI efforts under a new ‘Superintelligence Labs’ division led by ex-Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang.
While AI already improves Meta’s ad targeting, analysts note these investments aim for long-term dominance in AI capabilities. The push comes amid internal debates about abandoning Meta’s open-source Behemoth model for a closed alternative, per the New York Times.
Meta increased its 2025 budget to $64-72 billion for this AI arms race, with Zuckerberg personally recruiting top talent, including through its $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI. The gamble reflects tech giants’ belief that superintelligent AI will define the industry’s future.
