Meta has constructed data centers in tents just when you thought the AI data center boom couldn’t get much wilder. The approach seems to take equal inspiration from xAI and Tesla.
According to Michael Thomas, founder of Cleanview, which monitors data center installations, Meta has constructed six tents, or “rapid deployment structures” as the business refers to them, outside of New Albany, Ohio, in an effort to cut construction time in half.
Thomas’ discoveries are not entirely novel. Last year, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, told the Information that the company’s multi-gigawatt data centers would be housed under weatherproof tents.
However, Thomas’ photos and examination of local permits highlight the project’s scope and pace of building. Between April and June, Meta began constructing five 125,000-square-foot tents, according to local permits Thomas examined. The buildings have all been constructed, according to the satellite photos he posted on X.
The use of tents is similar to that of the tents Tesla erected in the parking lot of its Fremont, California, manufacturing facility to launch the Model 3 quickly. Additionally, the complex is powered by 200 megawatts of adjacent modular gas turbines, a strategy made popular by rival xAI.
AI chips, perhaps valued at billions of dollars, will operate within the tents.
Due to Meta’s difficulties releasing its AI models to developers, tensions have grown. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, Meta’s most recent model, Muse Spark, is finished, but the APIs that developers need to access it have been consistently delayed.
According to Meta, it plans to invest up to $145 billion in data centers and other capital projects. That has not pleased Wall Street, as Meta’s stock has dropped 5% so far this year. One option to reduce costs is to install AI chips in tents.
Meta has been contacted for comment, and if it responds, this page will be updated.