The tech giant Meta, led by its founder Mark Zuckerberg, announced an ambitious plan to expand its computational infrastructure by building large-scale AI centers in the United States.
The first megaproject, called "Prometheus", will be located in New Albany, Ohio, and is expected to become operational in 2026. According to Zuckerberg's statement, this center will occupy an area comparable to the size of Manhattan - around 59.1 square kilometers.
Parallel to "Prometheus", the company is developing a second large-scale center - "Hyperion", which will be built in Louisiana and is planned to reach full capacity by 2030. Zuckerberg emphasized that these centers are symbolically named, reflecting their global significance.
The investment is expected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars and is aimed at developing so-called "superintelligent" technologies that could surpass human intelligence. Expert Karl Freund from the Cambrian Research Institute commented that Zuckerberg apparently intends to achieve technological leadership through large-scale financial investments.
Meta's economic strategy seems extremely ambitious, with the company, which generated over $160 billion in revenue in 2024, demonstrating readiness to invest seriously in the future of artificial intelligence.
Experts, however, warn of significant environmental challenges associated with building such data centers. Studies indicate that they may consume around 1.7 trillion gallons of water globally by 2027, which raises serious questions about their sustainability.
The company's stock results show a positive reaction - Meta's shares increased by 1% after announcing the plans, and have already grown by over 20% since the beginning of the year.
Currently, there are at least 10,000 data centers worldwide, with the majority located in the US, followed by the United Kingdom and Germany. However, Meta's new investments are expected to dramatically change the market landscape in computational technologies.
Zuckerberg emphasized that these investments are crucial for the company's future development and its pursuit of technological superiority in the era of artificial intelligence.