Summary
Meta, the company behind Facebook, plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on building large AI data centers in the United States. The first center, named Prometheus, is scheduled to start operating in 2026 in Ohio, with another center, Hyperion, planned for Louisiana by 2030. The company aims to develop advanced AI technology and has seen a rise in its stock following this announcement.
Key Facts
- Meta will invest hundreds of billions of dollars in AI data centers in the US.
- The first data center, Prometheus, will be located in New Albany, Ohio, and is expected to start in 2026.
- Another data center, Hyperion, is planned for Louisiana and should be fully operational by 2030.
- These centers are part of Meta's efforts to develop "superintelligence," which could surpass human intelligence in certain tasks.
- The company's revenue exceeded $160 billion in 2024, mainly from online advertising.
- Meta's stock rose 1% after the announcement and has increased more than 20% this year.
- AI data centers use a lot of energy and water, and one study suggests they could use 1.7 trillion gallons of water worldwide by 2027.
- There are over 10,000 data centers globally, with the majority located in the United States.
