Meta Platforms(US:META) 美股研究社·2025-07-04 11:47Core Viewpoint - Meta is seeking to raise up to $29 billion from private equity firms to build AI data centers in the U.S., indicating a significant push into the artificial intelligence sector [3][5]. Group 1: Meta's AI Investment Strategy - Meta is in advanced negotiations with several private equity giants, including Apollo Global Management, KKR, Brookfield, Carlyle, and Pimco [4]. - The company plans to raise $3 billion in equity and $26 billion in debt, which could become one of the largest private financing deals in this sector [5]. - CEO Mark Zuckerberg is significantly increasing investments in AI, as Meta has previously lagged behind competitors in AI development [7]. Group 2: Competitive Landscape and Collaborations - Meta's large language model Llama 4 has underperformed, and the release of its flagship model "Behemoth" has been delayed [7]. - 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 [7]. - Meta has raised its full-year capital expenditure forecast by up to 10% to $64 billion to $72 billion, citing additional investments in AI data centers and increased infrastructure hardware costs [7]. Group 3: Trends in Private Capital Involvement - Meta's collaboration with large capital management firms aims to share the risks and costs of substantial investments in AI computing capabilities [9]. - Other tech giants are also turning to private equity for funding, with OpenAI partnering with Blue Owl for a $15 billion investment in a Texas data center [9]. - This trend allows companies to keep similar debt financing off their balance sheets, thus avoiding impacts on their leverage ratios and credit ratings [9].