Meta Explores AI Cloud Push to Monetize Computing Capacity: Report
Meta is reportedly considering renting out AI computing capacity to developers as it seeks returns on billions invested in AI infrastructure.
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Meta Platforms is exploring a new business that would allow developers to rent artificial intelligence computing capacity from its infrastructure, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The plans are still being developed and could change, the report said.
The proposed service would allow developers to access AI models hosted on Meta’s infrastructure, including its Muse Spark model, and pay for the computing power needed to run them.
The company is also considering offering raw AI computing capacity, similar to services provided by AI-focused cloud providers.
If launched, the move would expand Meta’s presence in the enterprise AI market, where demand for computing infrastructure continues to grow.
It would also bring the company into closer competition with cloud giants such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, while increasing pressure on AI infrastructure providers such as CoreWeave and Nebius.
Meta shares rose more than 10% on Wednesday, while CoreWeave and Nebius fell 10.8% and 12.4%, respectively, amid concerns that Meta could reduce its dependence on their services while also becoming a competitor.
The reported strategy comes as technology companies face increasing pressure to justify the billions of dollars being committed to AI infrastructure.
Meta alone is projected to spend as much as $145 billion on AI infrastructure this year, representing a significant share of the more than $700 billion Big Tech is expected to invest in AI.
For Meta, offering cloud services could create another way to make use of that infrastructure beyond its own products.
Developers would be able to run AI models through Meta’s infrastructure in a model similar to Amazon Web Services’ Bedrock, which provides access to AI models through a managed platform.
The reported move also follows comments from Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, who said at Meta’s shareholder meeting in May that entering the cloud computing business was “definitely on the table.”
Zuckerberg said companies were approaching Meta “almost every week” seeking access to its AI models or spare computing capacity.
Meta unveiled Muse Spark, the first AI model developed by its new research team, in April. However, the model has not yet been released to developers, and The Wall Street Journal reported last month that no launch date has been set.
