Meta is orchestrating the largest private AI infrastructure buildout in history, committing $65 billion in 2025 alone to construct a computational empire that will dwarf anything seen before. From a 2-gigawatt Louisiana megasite that would “cover a significant part of Manhattan” to nuclear power partnerships and 1.3 million GPUs, Mark Zuckerberg is betting that raw computational power—not just algorithms—will determine who wins the AI race.
Meta’s $10 billion Louisiana data center in Richland Parish represents the company’s boldest infrastructure play:
4 million square feet across 2,250 acres
2+ gigawatts of power consumption (equivalent to 2 nuclear reactors)
1,700 football fields worth of land
Construction through 2030
“This will be a defining year for AI,” Zuckerberg declared on Facebook, posting an image of the facility overlaid on Manhattan to demonstrate its massive scale.
The Power Problem
The Louisiana facility alone requires unprecedented energy infrastructure:
$6 billion in electric infrastructure from Entergy Louisiana
Three natural gas plants generating 2,262 MW
10,000-acre solar farm
100 miles of new transmission lines
“This is so large it would cover a significant part of Manhattan,” Zuckerberg boasted, underscoring that Meta’s infrastructure ambitions match its AI aspirations.
The $65 Billion Infrastructure Blitz
2025 Investment Breakdown
Meta’s $65 billion capital expenditure for 2025 represents:
70% increase from 2024’s $38-40 billion
More than Netflix’s entire market cap
Exceeds combined R&D spending of most pharma giants
“We have the capital to continue investing in the years ahead,” Zuckerberg stated, signaling this is just the beginning.
The Nuclear Option: Meta’s Clean Energy Play
Nuclear Renaissance
Meta is aggressively pursuing nuclear power to feed its AI ambitions:
1. Constellation Energy Deal
20-year agreement for Clinton Clean Energy Center (Illinois)
1,121 MW of carbon-free power starting June 2027
Prevents closure of existing nuclear plant
2. Nuclear RFP (Request for Proposals)
Seeking 4 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by early 2030s
Open to both traditional reactors and SMRs (Small Modular Reactors)
NDA-protected negotiations with potential providers
“We believe nuclear energy will play a pivotal role in the transition to a cleaner, more reliable, and diversified electric grid,”Meta stated in its nuclear RFP announcement.
The Clean Energy Commitment
Despite natural gas usage in Louisiana, Meta maintains aggressive sustainability goals:
1,500 MW of new renewable energy for Louisiana site
60% carbon offset through sequestration
100% renewable match for electricity usage
Strategic Implications
1. Infrastructure as Competitive Moat
Unlike algorithms that can be copied, physical infrastructure creates lasting advantages:
Speed: Train models in weeks vs. competitors’ months
Cost: $0.002 per million tokens (vs. OpenAI’s $0.03)
Potential rate increases after Meta’s 15-year contract
Natural gas lock-in despite renewable promises
“There’s no reason why residential customers in Louisiana need to pay for a power plant for energy they’re not going to use,” warns Jessica Hendricks of the Alliance for Affordable Energy.
Meta’s $65 billion infrastructure bet represents the physical manifestation of the AI arms race. While competitors fight over talent and algorithms, Zuckerberg is quietly building the roads, power plants, and data centers that will carry the future’s computational traffic.
The question isn’t whether Meta can afford this investment—with $100 billion in annual cash flow, they clearly can. The question is whether owning the physical layer of AI will provide the sustainable advantage Zuckerberg believes it will.
“This is a massive effort, and over the coming years it will drive our core products and business, unlock historic innovation, and extend American technology leadership,” Zuckerberg declared.
In a world where AI models are becoming commoditized, Meta is betting that the real value lies not in the software, but in the steel, silicon, and uranium that power it.
Time will tell if they’re building the future’s essential infrastructure—or history’s most expensive data centers.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
