Layer 5: Data Centers — Meta’s $72.2B Physical Footprint

The Scale of Investment

Metric Value Context
2025 CapEx $72.2B +84% YoY
CapEx/Revenue 36% vs Google ~15%
2026 Guidance $80-95B+ Continued acceleration

Largest infrastructure investment in tech history

The Physical Buildout

  • $600B U.S. Commitment through 2028
  • Louisiana flagship data center project
  • U.S.-centric build optimized for power and regulation
  • Purpose-built for AI training and inference

Operational Characteristics

  • Under construction and planned capacity
  • Higher power density than traditional DC
  • Liquid cooling infrastructure
  • AI-optimized network topology

CapEx Comparison: Meta vs Peers

Company CapEx % of Revenue
Meta 36%
Google 15%
Amazon 12%

“Unprecedented infrastructure investment intensity”

The Zuckerberg Bet

“We’d rather be ahead of demand than behind it. If superintelligence arrives early, we’re positioned. If it takes longer, we slow building while demand catches up. The asymmetry is: being late is existential.”


This is part of a comprehensive analysis. Read the full analysis on The Business Engineer.

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