Meta Builds Massive 5GW AI Data Centers in US

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced an ambitious plan to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in constructing multiple large-scale AI data centers, including the Prometheus cluster in Ohio and the Hyperion facility in Louisiana, which alone will scale up to 5 gigawatts of power capacity. These megacampuses are designed to compete aggressively with companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Amazon by providing the massive computational power needed to develop frontier AI models and attract top AI talent. Hyperion's power needs are enormous, comparable to the output of multiple nuclear reactors and enough to power millions of homes, raising concerns about the environmental and infrastructural impact, including strain on local electricity grids and water resources. U.S. government officials, including President Donald Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, have expressed support for expanding energy production to meet these demands, emphasizing AI's economic importance. Meta's strategic hiring of prominent AI leaders and its capital strength, with a market capitalization of $1.82 trillion, underpin its superintelligence ambitions. However, the rapid growth of AI data centers nationwide highlights the urgency for balancing technological advancement with sustainable resource management.