Meta explores leasing part of its AI infrastructure to Anthropic

Meta is in talks with Anthropic to lease computing capacity to support the development of artificial intelligence technologies, a move that could put the social media giant in direct competition with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google in the cloud computing services market.

A source familiar with the matter told CNN that the talks are still in early stages, while the New York Times reported that the deal could be worth up to $10 billion over two years, citing three people familiar with the discussions.

The source clarified that any figures circulated so far are still just estimates, and both Meta and Anthropic declined to comment on the talks.

If the deal is reached, it could represent a significant shift in Meta's business model, as the company seeks to generate returns from its massive investments in data centers by leasing computing capacity to other companies working in artificial intelligence.

Meta plans to spend between $125 billion and $145 billion in capital expenditures this year, most of it to expand its AI infrastructure, roughly double its spending in the previous year.

In April, Meta announced it would lay off 10% of its workforce, equivalent to about 8,000 employees, as part of efforts to fund massive investments in AI infrastructure.

Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has previously hinted at the possibility of leasing computing capacity if the company's investments exceed its actual needs.

During the shareholders' meeting in May, he said that many companies contact Meta almost weekly to inquire about buying computing capacity, but the company has not taken that step yet because it expects to use it internally.

He added that if Meta reaches a stage where it has surplus computing power, leasing it out would be an option.

The AI computing market is seeing increasing demand as companies accelerate adoption of these technologies, while Anthropic already has multibillion-dollar agreements to obtain computing capacity from Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and SpaceX.

In contrast, investors are pressuring Meta to prove that its massive spending on AI will translate into profits, especially as competition intensifies with companies like Anthropic and OpenAI.

Meta's shares have fallen more than 8% compared to the same period last year.

The company also last month unveiled an upgraded version of its Muse Spark AI model, asserting that it competes with the programming models developed by OpenAI and Anthropic.

It announced for the first time the launch of a paid version of the service, a step aimed at boosting returns from AI investments.