tech

Jon Keegan6/27/25

Meta reportedly seeking $29 billion for data center construction

Meta is looking to raise a total of $29 billion to pay for its gargantuan AI data center plans, according to a new report from the Financial Times. The company is looking to raise $26 billion in debt and $3 billion in equity from firms including Apollo Global Management, KKR, Brookfield, Carlyle, and Pimco as it seeks to stay competitive in the AI race.

Meta recently delayed the release of the largest version of its flagship Llama 4 AI model, and rankled the AI community with controversial test scores for the smaller releases.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is deeply involved in personally recruiting a new team of AI all-stars to unlock “superintelligence” by poaching top researchers from competitors like OpenAI, reportedly with $100 million starting offers.

The company has upped its estimates for capex spending this year to $72 billion due to tariffs and bigger plans.

Meta’s competitors are in a feverish race to build massive AI data centers amid rapid breakthroughs in efficiency that could lead to a glut of AI data center capacity. Amazon is building 30 huge data centers in Indiana to provide computing resources for its parter Anthropic, and OpenAI’s massive Stargate project is currently under construction in Texas.

Meta seeks $29bn from private credit giants to fund AI data centres

Meta seeks $29bn from private credit giants to fund AI data centres

Meta recently delayed the release of the largest version of its flagship Llama 4 AI model, and rankled the AI community with controversial test scores for the smaller releases.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is deeply involved in personally recruiting a new team of AI all-stars to unlock “superintelligence” by poaching top researchers from competitors like OpenAI, reportedly with $100 million starting offers.

The company has upped its estimates for capex spending this year to $72 billion due to tariffs and bigger plans.

Meta’s competitors are in a feverish race to build massive AI data centers amid rapid breakthroughs in efficiency that could lead to a glut of AI data center capacity. Amazon is building 30 huge data centers in Indiana to provide computing resources for its parter Anthropic, and OpenAI’s massive Stargate project is currently under construction in Texas.

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It turns out Tesla’s Cybercab might need to have a steering wheel and pedals after all

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Matt Phillips19h

Intel romps amid reported attempt to poach a 21-year Taiwan Semiconductor veteran

A report in the Taiwanese press that Intel is attempting to recruit a recently retired top Taiwan Semiconductor executive, Wei-Jen Lo, to lead R&D at Intel’s troubled foundry division may account for the bump in Intel shares Tuesday, one analyst told us.

A synopsis of the report from technology analysis and news outlet TrendForce News notes:

“If confirmed, the move could have significant implications for TSMC and the broader Taiwanese semiconductor industry, especially as Intel aggressively expands its foundry business with support from Washington and backing from tech giants like NVIDIA and SoftBank, the report adds.”

But some skepticism about Lo, 75 years old, returning to Intel, where he worked before joining TSMC in 2004, is also warranted, TrendForce says:

“Industry insiders cited by the report say it is unlikely he would join Intel again, given TSMC’s non-compete rules, Intel’s status as a direct competitor, Lo’s advanced age, health considerations, and his long-standing loyalty to TSMC founder Morris Chang. On the other hand, some industry observers warn that Lo, a U.S. citizen, would be difficult for TSMC to restrict, even with non-compete clauses.”

Intel shares have doubled over the last three months, since the US government took a 10% stake in the company in August. Intel is the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 over that period.

Intel Reportedly Eyes Retired TSMC Veteran Wei-Jen Lo, Advanced Node Pioneer, to Lead R&D

[News] Intel Reportedly Eyes Retired TSMC Veteran Wei-Jen Lo, Advanced Node Pioneer, to Lead R&D

“If confirmed, the move could have significant implications for TSMC and the broader Taiwanese semiconductor industry, especially as Intel aggressively expands its foundry business with support from Washington and backing from tech giants like NVIDIA and SoftBank, the report adds.”

But some skepticism about Lo, 75 years old, returning to Intel, where he worked before joining TSMC in 2004, is also warranted, TrendForce says:

“Industry insiders cited by the report say it is unlikely he would join Intel again, given TSMC’s non-compete rules, Intel’s status as a direct competitor, Lo’s advanced age, health considerations, and his long-standing loyalty to TSMC founder Morris Chang. On the other hand, some industry observers warn that Lo, a U.S. citizen, would be difficult for TSMC to restrict, even with non-compete clauses.”

Intel shares have doubled over the last three months, since the US government took a 10% stake in the company in August. Intel is the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 over that period.

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Nokia surges as Nvidia invests $1 billion in company, a 2.9% stake

Nvidia is taking a 2.9% stake in Nokia, as the Finnish mobile networking company has successfully pivoted to AI and data center technology.

In a press release announcing the deal, Nokia said:

“Nokia intends to accelerate development of Nokia’s 5G & 6G RAN software to run on NVIDIA’s architecture and will make investments to drive Nokia’s strategic goal of increasing its presence in the AI & Cloud market with data center aligned networking solutions within its Network Infrastructure business. Nokia and NVIDIA have agreed to collaborate on AI networking solutions and explore opportunities to incorporate Nokia’s data center switching and optical technologies in NVIDIA’s future AI infrastructure architecture.”

Nokia’s stock shot up over 20% on news of the deal.

Nvidia to Invest $1 Billion in Nokia in AI Networking Push

Nvidia to Invest $1 Billion in Nokia in AI Networking Push

“Nokia intends to accelerate development of Nokia’s 5G & 6G RAN software to run on NVIDIA’s architecture and will make investments to drive Nokia’s strategic goal of increasing its presence in the AI & Cloud market with data center aligned networking solutions within its Network Infrastructure business. Nokia and NVIDIA have agreed to collaborate on AI networking solutions and explore opportunities to incorporate Nokia’s data center switching and optical technologies in NVIDIA’s future AI infrastructure architecture.”

Nokia’s stock shot up over 20% on news of the deal.

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