Meta to Spend Billions on AI Superintelligence Data Centers by 2026

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) is ramping up its investment in artificial intelligence, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcing plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure. The tech giant will build several massive data centers to support the development of superintelligent systems, aiming to outpace rivals like OpenAI and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL).

Zuckerberg revealed that Meta’s first multi-gigawatt data center, named Prometheus, will go live in 2026. Another facility, Hyperion, is set to scale up to 5 gigawatts. “We’re building multiple more titan clusters… just one of these covers a significant part of the footprint of Manhattan,” Zuckerberg said on Threads. According to SemiAnalysis, Meta could be the first AI lab to bring a gigawatt-plus supercluster online.

The massive spend comes amid investor concerns, but Zuckerberg pointed to Meta’s robust $165 billion revenue last year and strong ad business performance as justification. The company’s stock has gained over 20% this year, rising 1% on the day of the announcement.

In April, Meta increased its 2025 capital expenditure to $64–$72 billion. The company recently reorganized its AI division into “Superintelligence Labs” after Llama 4 model setbacks and key departures. The unit, now led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang and ex-GitHub head Nat Friedman, is expected to fuel future revenue through Meta AI apps, smart glasses, and advanced ad tools.

Some reports suggest Meta may abandon its open-source Behemoth model for a closed alternative. Analyst Gil Luria noted that while AI already enhances Meta’s ad sales, this level of investment signals a long-term play to dominate in superintelligent AI.

Meta’s aggressive AI push highlights the intensifying race to lead the next era of computing.