Meta Cloud Business

Meta shares jumped nearly 9% after a report that the company is exploring a cloud business built around access to AI models and computing power. The move could turn Meta’s huge data center investments into a new revenue stream. Why the shift matters The AI boom has driven intense demand for data processing capacity, helping make cloud infrastructure a major profit engine for Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Meta may now be preparing to compete in that same arena by packaging its excess compute for outside customers. According to Bloomberg, Meta is forming a business that could sell access to AI models in a way similar to Amazon Web Services' Bedrock offering. The company could also offer raw computing power to external customers. Company What the Report Suggests Market Reaction Meta Exploring cloud services and AI model access Shares rose nearly 9% CoreWeave Seen as a possible rival under pressure Closed down almost 14% Nebius Also exposed to the competitive threat Fell 17% What Meta could sell The plan under discussion would let Meta run the data centers and chips behind its models, including its own Muse Spark models, while charging developers to access them. The company is also considering selling excess “raw” computing power to outside buyers. That possibility rattled neocloud stocks on Wednesday, with investors weighing how much pressure Meta could place on smaller infrastructure providers. Bernstein analyst Madison Rezaei said Meta already sits on one of the largest data center footprints in the world. Rezaei estimated that Meta has already accumulated 20 gigawatts in global capacity and expects another 14GW to come online in the next few years. She said that scale “easily rivals cloud provider footprints.” Zuckerberg had already signaled the option Meta declined to comment on the report, but Mark Zuckerberg told investors in May that selling compute is “definitely on the table.” He added that outside companies regularly ask Meta for API services or for compute they could buy at a premium to what Meta paid. He said Meta has not done that yet because it still has use for the compute, but added that overbuilding could eventually make it an option. The latest market reaction may only strengthen that case as Meta weighs how far its AI infrastructure can stretch beyond its own products. Read more at: finance.yahoo.com

Meta Explores Cloud Sales, and Wall Street Sees a New Threat to AI Rivals