Meta is bringing in a veteran of Amazon's cloud business to run its next-generation AI data center push. Dave Brown, who spent years as a senior vice president at Amazon Web Services, will lead a newly formed unit called Meta Compute. The company says it has committed more than $50 billion to the effort.
A New Division for AI Infrastructure
Meta Compute is the company's latest bet on building its own hardware and data center capacity from the ground up. The division will be responsible for designing, building, and operating the massive server farms needed to train and run AI models. Meta plans to deploy the $50 billion across multiple years, though the company has not given a specific timeline.
The move is part of a broader shift inside Meta. The company has been pouring resources into generative AI, open-source large language models like Llama, and AI-powered features across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Running those systems at scale demands a huge amount of computing power — and Meta wants to own the infrastructure that delivers it.
Brown's Background at AWS
Brown previously served as a senior vice president at Amazon Web Services, where he oversaw the company's global infrastructure. AWS is the world's largest cloud provider, operating data centers in dozens of regions. Brown's tenure there spanned more than a decade, and he was involved in the company's early moves into custom silicon and networking.
At Meta, Brown will report to the company's infrastructure leadership. He takes over a team that has already been building out data centers in locations like Texas, Iowa, and abroad. The company is also designing its own AI chips and networking gear to avoid relying on third-party vendors.
The $50 Billion Commitment
Meta's $50 billion investment target is among the largest in the tech industry. It rivals spending plans from Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, all of which are racing to expand their AI data center footprints. The money will go toward land, construction, servers, networking equipment, and energy infrastructure.
Meta has said it expects capital expenditures to rise significantly in the coming years. The company is betting that owning the infrastructure will give it a cost advantage and more control over its AI roadmap. Outsiders have noted that the investment is a bet on the long-term demand for AI compute, not just a short-term splurge.
Brown's first task will be to scale Meta Compute and oversee the deployment of that $50 billion. The company has not yet announced specific milestones, but the work is already underway.
