Meta has built data centers in tents outside of New Albany, Ohio, according to Michael Thomas, founder of Cleanview, which tracks data center deployments. The company describes the structures as “rapid deployment structures.” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke to The Information last year about his plan to use weatherproof tents to house the company’s multi-gigawatt data centers. Thomas’ images and review of local permits showcase the speed of construction and scale of the project.
Five Tents Built Between April And June, Each 125,000 Square Feet
According to city permits reviewed by Thomas, Meta started building five 125,000-square-foot tents between April and June. Satellite images shared in his post on X show the structures have all been built. The use of tents is reminiscent of those Tesla built in the parking lot of its Fremont, California factory when rushing to roll out the Model 3. The site is also powered by 200 megawatts of modular gas turbines nearby, a tactic popularized by competitor xAI. Inside the tents, AI chips worth billions of dollars will operate.
Meta Struggles With AI Model Releases As Spending Ramps Up
The tents have sprung up as Meta has struggled to release its AI models to developers. A recent report in The Wall Street Journal found that Meta’s latest model, Muse Spark, is complete, but the APIs that developers rely on to access it have been repeatedly delayed. Meta has said it intends to spend up to $145 billion on data centers and other capital expenditures. Wall Street has not liked the sound of that, with Meta’s stock trading down 5% this year. The Information previously reported on Zuckerberg’s tent plan. Putting AI chips in tents is one way to trim the bill.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
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