Meta is betting hundreds of billions on AI as the new infrastructure of marketing

Mark Zuckerberg described these coming facilities as “multi-gigawatt” data centers, including one with a footprint almost the size of Manhattan. “We’re building multiple more titan clusters as well,” he wrote on Threads. “Just one of these covers a significant part of the footprint of Manhattan.”

These aren’t aspirational slides for a shareholder meeting. They’re commitments that will reshape Meta’s business and, by extension, the marketing industry that relies on it.

Why Meta needs hyperscale data centers

A data center is serious infrastructure, with thousands of servers, power systems, cooling technology and vast fiber connections built to meet the demanding scale of AI workloads.

Meta’s new Indiana data center alone will cost $800m and cover 700,000 square feet, set to go online by 2029. But that’s just one piece of a much larger expansion. Facilities named Prometheus and Hyperion will deliver multiple gigawatts of power for AI clusters in the next few years.

Meta has been explicit about why this is necessary. As Zuckerberg put it, they have “the capital from our business” to make this possible and they’re “focused on building the most elite and talent-dense team in the industry.”

This isn’t about prestige projects. It’s about building the foundation for the next era of AI-powered products and services that will be deeply woven into how marketing itself works.

AI is no longer just a feature you bolt onto existing workflows. It’s quickly becoming part of the infrastructure that shapes how brands reach, engage, and convert customers. Think copywriting, image generation, chatbots, targeting, personalization, customer insights, dynamic creative optimization, product recommendations.

Meta isn’t launching an AI campaign. It’s laying the groundwork for how its entire advertising ecosystem will operate in the future.

The cost of “free” AI

To many of us, these AI tools can seem free or at least cheap. But these new data centers are a reminder that the real cost of AI is simply hidden from view.

When you prompt ChatGPT for a clever line, or spin up dynamic ad variants in seconds, you’re tapping into vast server farms that cost billions to build, power and maintain.

Meta’s commitment to renewable energy is welcome, but it doesn’t change the fact that these models are energy-hungry. As an industry, we’re going to have to reckon with that. Sustainable marketing strategies can’t ignore the infrastructure behind the tech we use every day. It’s a reminder that our digital ambitions have physical consequences.

Can marketing keep up?

Perhaps the biggest question these data centers raise for marketers is this: Are we ready for the pace of change?

If AI is evolving so quickly that even Meta needs to futureproof itself with unprecedented infrastructure, how will the average brand keep up?

We can’t afford to treat AI as a simple campaign tactic. It’s not just another channel or a line item in the media plan. It’s becoming the infrastructure of marketing itself.

That means agencies and brands need to ask:

• Are we investing in our own AI capabilities, or just renting them from big tech?
• Do our teams know how to use these tools well, ethically, and creatively?
• Are we prepared to adapt as these tools get more powerful and potentially more disruptive?

Marketing needs its own foundations

Meta’s sprawling, multi-billion-dollar AI investment might seem far removed from a brand’s day-to-day work. But it’s a clear signal about where marketing is headed.

They’re building the infrastructure because they know AI will shape how people connect, consume, and buy.

If brands and agencies want to stay relevant, they’ll need to build their own foundations: knowledge, strategy, ethics, and creativity that can keep pace with the technology.

Because the companies treating AI like essential infrastructure are the ones planning to win.