Meta to share AI infrastructure costs via 2 billion asset sale
Meta Platforms has moved to soften the ballooning cost of building artificial-intelligence infrastructure by earmarking roughly $2 billion of data-centre land and construction work for sale to an external partner. In an Aug. 1 securities filing, the company said it approved a June plan to dispose of specific assets and reclassified $2.04 billion as “held-for-sale,” signalling it intends to contribute them to a third party within the next 12 months for joint development of new facilities. The step reflects a growing industry trend in which Big Tech firms seek co-investment rather than funding every AI expansion entirely from their own balance sheets.
Chief Financial Officer Susan Li told analysts the group would still finance most capital spending internally but that bringing in financial partners could “offer more flexibility” and “significant external financing” on select projects if requirements evolve. The filing shows Meta’s total held-for-sale assets stood at $3.26 billion as of June 30, while the company simultaneously raised the low end of its 2025 capital-expenditure outlook by $2 billion to a range of $66–$72 billion after stronger-than-expected ad revenue boosted liquidity. Meta did not record a write-down on the reclassification and has yet to announce a definitive transaction.
Founder-CEO Mark Zuckerberg has described upcoming AI “superclusters” as so large that “just one covers a significant part of the footprint of Manhattan,” underlining why management is exploring partnerships to share risk. Reuters notes that rivals across the tech sector are adopting similar asset-light approaches as the surge in generative-AI demand drives unprecedented data-centre spending and power requirements. Meta’s latest disclosure suggests those partnership talks are maturing even as the company continues its multi-year, internally funded push to scale AI capabilities.
