Meta Platforms(US:META) 硬AI·2025-06-28 13:24Core Viewpoint - Meta is seeking to raise up to $29 billion from private equity firms to significantly expand its AI data center capabilities in the U.S. This move indicates a strong commitment to advancing in the artificial intelligence sector [2][4]. Group 1: Funding and Investment Plans - Meta is in advanced negotiations with several private equity giants, including Apollo Global Management, KKR, Brookfield, Carlyle, and Pimco, to raise $3 billion in equity and $26 billion in debt [2][4]. - This funding effort is expected to be one of the largest private financing deals in the sector [2]. Group 2: Competitive Landscape and Strategic Moves - CEO Mark Zuckerberg is increasing investments in AI, as Meta has previously lagged behind competitors. The company has faced challenges with its large language model Llama 4 and delayed the release of its flagship model "Behemoth" [4]. - To catch up, Meta announced a $15 billion investment in data labeling startup ScaleAI and recruited Scale's CEO to lead a new "superintelligence" team focused on general AI development [4]. - Meta's capital expenditure forecast for the year has been raised by up to 10%, now projected between $64 billion and $72 billion, due to additional investments in AI data centers and rising infrastructure hardware costs [4]. Group 3: Industry Trends - The trend of tech giants partnering with private equity firms to share investment risks and costs is becoming more common. For instance, OpenAI is collaborating with Blue Owl to invest $15 billion in a Texas data center [6]. - This approach allows companies to keep large capital projects off their balance sheets, thereby avoiding negative impacts on leverage ratios and credit ratings [6].