Sources: Meta is in talks to rent computing power from its data centers to Anthropic in a deal that could be worth ~$10B over two years
A deal would underline how scarce computing power is for artificial intelligence development, and could create a new business for Meta.
New York Times
Context & Ripple Effects
Meta’s reported push into selling AI compute and models followed a period in which it was also securing outside capacity, including a roughly 1.6 GW contract with Crusoe, and discussing compute supply from Oracle. The company has separately been reported to be planning a cloud-infrastructure business aimed at AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
The Anthropic talks would therefore extend Meta’s infrastructure strategy from building and procuring capacity for itself toward monetizing owned data-center capacity. They also sit alongside reported project financing and off-balance-sheet structures for AI data centers, raising the value of long-term external demand for that infrastructure.
First-order effects
Anthropic could obtain a large, multi-year source of AI computing capacity from Meta rather than relying solely on other infrastructure providers.
Meta would gain a potential new revenue stream from its data centers and a prospective anchor customer for capacity it has been financing and expanding.
Second-order effects
The arrangement would make Meta both a major buyer of third-party compute and a supplier to another frontier-model developer, intensifying competition with established cloud providers for AI workloads.
Long-duration customer commitments can improve the economics of large data-center projects, linking demand from model developers more directly to how operators finance and build capacity.
Third-order effects
If such arrangements proliferate, AI compute could evolve into a more liquid capacity market in which large technology companies alternately procure, broker, and resell infrastructure rather than operating only captive fleets.
That shift would push AI infrastructure further toward utility-like, contract-backed assets, while making access to power, data centers, and financing increasingly consequential competitive inputs.
The trend: AI infrastructure is shifting from a proprietary cost center into a contract-backed capacity market, with large platform owners seeking to monetize and finance compute through external customers.
The labs are splitting into those that do anything to buy compute and those that do anything to sell compute. I'm surprised there seem to be just two of the former .... it's unsurprising those two are in the lead.
News: Meta in early talks to sell computing power to Anthropic in what could be a $10 billion deal if such a move happens, it could mark the start of a cloud computing business for Meta as it faces investor pressure for its AI spending w/ @elitanjourno https://www.nytimes.com/...
@MikeIsaac @elitanjourno The only real question: is this actual money or just the fake money that's being passed between AI companies without any real benefit other than to satiate investors by pumping their share price?
$145 billion dollar question is how many of Meta's GPUs are “dark,” meaning sitting built and unused because the demand for their data center buildout isn't there. they're spending heavily with a “field of dreams” thesis (old guy reference) but unclear if that demand will come
imo can be read a few ways: meta is “overbuilding” data centers somewhat now for the future, but it doesnt have the demand that Anthropic does, so it leases compute until/IF that demand comes later —SpaceX did the same (other read is meta giving up, but i highly doubt that)
There's a long line of failed past $META B2B attempts. The past doesn't always dictate the future but it's a good signal the culture doesn't fit. Bringing a guy like Dave Brown in, similar to when Google brought in TK could be the difference-maker as long as they give Dave
Possibly $10B deal with Anthropic for $META Imagine Core asset light business doing 30% growth. Core family of apps with 60% op margins. Muse Spark models catch no frontier Now leading lab TRUSTS Meta's infrastructure capabilities to potentially deploy up to $10B. What a [image]
SCOOP: Meta has poached Dave Brown, one of the most senior executives at Amazon Web Services, to join its data center and compute team. More for @WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/...
This does not sound chill!? Data centres are no longer progress. They are water suckers (even when they try to use recyclables... for energy) [embedded post]