- Meta is planning more AI data centers as part of its $600 billion spend
- It wants to reduce emissions and replace the water it uses
- Shares are down 17% already this month, but why?
Meta has pledged to invest $600 billion into US infrastructure, AI and jobs by 2028 as part of a broader plan to “[reinforce] America’s technological leadership.”
As part of the plan, Meta will continue to build more AI data centers across the US, which it says supports local economies and creates jobs, but the company intends to do all of this while focusing on sustainable and community-centric infrastructure.
The company says it has already supported over 30,000 skilled trade jobs since 2010, contributing $20 billion in business to US subcontractors.
With surging AI demand creating the need for more and more data centers, Meta says it’s drilling down on its sustainability initiatives: “For both our energy and water needs, we work closely with utilities to plan for and meet our energy needs, and we pay for the energy costs that benefit our data centers.”
Already, Meta claims it’s made “hundreds of millions” of upgrades to the grid infrastructure in the US, adding an additional 15 gigawatts of energy to power grids.
Already, Meta matches 100% of its used energy with clean and renewable energy across its operations, per its 2025 Sustainability Report, but sustainability is so much more. It also wants to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% compared with the 2021 level by 2031, and for third-party vendors affecting its Scope 3 emissions, it also wants to keep to that 2021 level.
“We restore water to watersheds in the areas that host ourdata centers, and plan to be water positive by 2030,” the company added in its latest announcement. Its Sustainability Report adds some more context – Meta intends to replace 100% of this water in medium-stress areas, and double it in high-stress areas.
In terms of local economies, Zuckerberg’s company commits to using local labor and materials where possible while ploughing cash into upskilling schemes. “We’ve given $58 million to schools, nonprofits, and community projects” via Data Center Community Action Grants, Meta explained.
In many ways, this is a one-up on rival tech companies, like OpenAI and Apple, which have both committed to $500 billion spends in the US.
Despite a 26% year-over-year rise in revenue last quarter, Meta share prices have taken more than a 17% plummet following the earnings announcement at the end of October.
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