Meta, led by founder Mark Zuckerberg, is planning to dedicate hundreds of billions of dollars to establish extensive AI data centres in the United States. The first of these massive facilities, named Prometheus, is set to begin operations in 2026 and will span an area comparable to Manhattan, covering roughly 59.1 square kilometers (22.8 square miles).
Investments will focus on developing advanced technology referred to as "superintelligence," which aims to surpass human cognitive abilities. Historically, Meta's financial success has largely stemmed from its online advertising revenue, which exceeded $160 billion in 2024.
In a post shared on the social media platform Threads, Zuckerberg outlined the establishment of multiple multi-gigawatt clusters. One of these, Hyperion, is projected to reach a capacity of five gigawatts over the next few years. He stated that these significant data centre clusters are aptly named to reflect their potential influence and scale.
Prometheus will be located in New Albany, Ohio, while Hyperion will be situated in Louisiana, with a projected completion date of 2030. Zuckerberg emphasized the massive financial commitment towards superintelligence and the remarkable infrastructure that will support this aim.
Analyst Karl Freund from Cambrian AI Research highlighted that Zuckerberg's strategy indicates a major push to dominate the AI sector. He noted, "clearly, Zuckerberg intends to spend his way to the top of the AI heap," suggesting that the talent attracted to these projects will have access to some of the most advanced AI hardware available.
Following the announcement, Meta's stock experienced a 1% increase, adding to the more than 20% growth seen this year. Currently, there are over 10,000 data centres globally, predominantly located in the US, with others found in the UK and Germany. However, AI data centres are known for being highly energy and water intensive, with estimates indicating that by 2027 they could consume as much as 1.7 trillion gallons of water worldwide. For perspective, a single AI query can require as much water as a small bottle purchased from a convenience store.
Investments will focus on developing advanced technology referred to as "superintelligence," which aims to surpass human cognitive abilities. Historically, Meta's financial success has largely stemmed from its online advertising revenue, which exceeded $160 billion in 2024.
In a post shared on the social media platform Threads, Zuckerberg outlined the establishment of multiple multi-gigawatt clusters. One of these, Hyperion, is projected to reach a capacity of five gigawatts over the next few years. He stated that these significant data centre clusters are aptly named to reflect their potential influence and scale.
Prometheus will be located in New Albany, Ohio, while Hyperion will be situated in Louisiana, with a projected completion date of 2030. Zuckerberg emphasized the massive financial commitment towards superintelligence and the remarkable infrastructure that will support this aim.
Analyst Karl Freund from Cambrian AI Research highlighted that Zuckerberg's strategy indicates a major push to dominate the AI sector. He noted, "clearly, Zuckerberg intends to spend his way to the top of the AI heap," suggesting that the talent attracted to these projects will have access to some of the most advanced AI hardware available.
Following the announcement, Meta's stock experienced a 1% increase, adding to the more than 20% growth seen this year. Currently, there are over 10,000 data centres globally, predominantly located in the US, with others found in the UK and Germany. However, AI data centres are known for being highly energy and water intensive, with estimates indicating that by 2027 they could consume as much as 1.7 trillion gallons of water worldwide. For perspective, a single AI query can require as much water as a small bottle purchased from a convenience store.
