Meta to spend up to $72B on AI infrastructure in 2025 as compute arms race escalates

Core Insights - Meta is significantly increasing its capital expenditures on AI infrastructure, expecting 2025 expenditures to be between $66-72 billion, which is approximately $30 billion higher than the previous year [1][2] - The company plans to continue this aggressive spending trend into 2026 to enhance its AI capabilities and business operations [2] - Meta has announced the development of two major AI superclusters, Prometheus in Ohio and Hyperion in Louisiana, with Prometheus expected to reach 1 gigawatt of compute power by 2026 and Hyperion potentially scaling up to 5 gigawatts [3] Financial Performance - Meta reported a revenue of $47.5 billion in the second quarter, with expectations for Q3 revenue to be between $47.5 billion and $50.5 billion, driven by advertising and AI tools [7] - The Reality Labs segment, however, incurred a loss of $4.5 billion [8] Strategic Initiatives - The company is investing heavily in employee compensation to attract top AI talent for its Superintelligence Labs, which is expected to be a significant growth driver [5] - CEO Mark Zuckerberg articulated a vision for "personal superintelligence," focusing on enhancing individual lives through Meta's smart glasses and virtual reality headsets [6]