Zuckerberg announces the establishment of Meta Compute, appoints former Trump advisor as 'AI Czar,' and invests tens of billions to build a world-class computing power infrastructure.
Meta is assembling a team of senior executives to manage its multi-billion-dollar data center projects, supporting the infrastructure investment required for its pursuit of 'superintelligence.' This move highlights the aggressive bets on infrastructure by global tech giants in the AI race. Analysts suggest that the establishment of Meta Compute may formalize Meta's infrastructure construction efforts, helping it better navigate the political and economic scrutiny often faced during data center development.On Monday, December 12, Eastern Time, Meta announced the appointment of Dina Powell McCormick, a senior advisor during President Trump's first term, as the company’s president and vice chairman, focusing on collaborating with governments and investors on AI projects. Hours later, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the promotion of two executives to lead an internal organization called Meta Compute, overseeing the company’s global data centers and supplier partnerships.Zuckerberg wrote on social media, 'Today we are launching a new top-tier strategic project named Meta Compute.'He explained, 'Meta plans to build tens of gigawatts of computing power infrastructure within this decade (by the end of 2030) and expand to hundreds of gigawatts or even larger scale in the longer term. How we engineer, invest, and collaborate with partners to build this infrastructure will become a core strategic advantage for the company.'Zuckerberg had previously committed to investing $600 billion in infrastructure over the next few years and has sought tens of billions in external financing to support some projects. The new team will be responsible for overseeing these investments and raising more funds for future projects. The data center Meta is building in Louisiana will have a capacity of 5 gigawatts, which Zuckerberg noted is nearly the size of Manhattan.Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday to congratulate Powell McCormick on her appointment, calling Zuckerberg's decision an 'excellent choice' and praising her as an 'outstanding and highly talented individual who served the Trump administration with strength and excellence.'Powell McCormick joined Meta’s board of directors in April last year but unexpectedly resigned after eight months. This week, she returns to Meta as president and vice chairman, reporting directly to Zuckerberg. A Meta spokesperson confirmed that she will guide the company’s overall strategy, with a particular focus on AI infrastructure.The McCormick image is from Meta.In a statement released by Meta on Monday, McCormick’s 'experience at the highest levels of global finance and her deep relationships worldwide uniquely position her to help Meta manage its next phase of growth as president and vice chairman.' Zuckerberg noted in his post that she will 'focus particularly on collaborating with governments and sovereign entities.'Media reports describe Powell McCormick as "one of the most senior female executives on Wall Street." Public records indicate that, over her career spanning more than 25 years, McCormick spent 16 years in senior leadership roles at Goldman Sachs, where she led the firm’s global sovereign investment banking business.McCormick previously served as President and Global Head of Client Service at the investment firm BDT & MSD Partners. Gregg Lemkau, Co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners, revealed that after leaving the company to join Meta, McCormick will continue to serve as a member of its advisory board.McCormick was born in Egypt and held various positions in the U.S. government for over a decade. She served as Deputy National Security Advisor during Trump's first term and as a senior advisor and Assistant Secretary of State to Condoleezza Rice during the George W. Bush administration. Her husband, Dave McCormick, is currently a Republican Senator from Pennsylvania and secured a critical Senate seat for the party in the state during the 2024 election.McCormick is the second former member of the Trump administration appointed by Meta this month. Earlier this month, Meta hired Curtis Joseph Mahoney as its Chief Legal Officer; Mahoney served as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative during Trump's first term.Zuckerberg posted on Facebook on Monday to announce the establishment of Meta Compute, a new high-level organizational unit. His post stated: "Meta plans to build tens of gigawatts (GW) this decade, eventually reaching hundreds of GW or more over time. How we design, invest in, and partner to build this infrastructure will become a strategic advantage."This effort will be led by Santosh Janardhan and Daniel Gross. Janardhan, Meta’s head of infrastructure, will continue to oversee the technical architecture, software stack, chip projects, developer productivity, and the construction and operation of global data centers and networks, with the key difference being that he now reports directly to Zuckerberg.Gross joined Meta last summer during the company’s recruitment drive for AI talent. He will lead a new team focused on capital strategy, supplier partnerships, industry analysis, planning, and building business models around Meta's AI initiatives. He will also report directly to Zuckerberg.Zuckerberg noted that Janardhan and Gross “will work closely with Dina Powell McCormick, who recently joined Meta as President and Vice Chair. She will oversee collaboration with governments and sovereign entities to build, deploy, and finance Meta’s infrastructure and related investments. I look forward to working closely with Daniel, Santosh, Dina, and their teams to scale Meta Compute and deliver personal superintelligence to billions of people worldwide.”Meta is actively investing in AI infrastructure as it seeks to achieve 'superintelligence,' or AI systems that surpass human capabilities across many tasks. Meta is constructing several GW-scale data centers across the United States, including a rural data center in Louisiana that Trump mentioned would involve a $50 billion investment. This month, Meta also announced a collaboration with $Vistra Energy (VST.US)$、 $Oklo Inc (OKLO.US)$ and other energy companies, positioning itself as one of the largest corporate purchasers of nuclear power globally.Meta is in competition with leading technology companies to develop AI-related infrastructure. OpenAI, Microsoft, and $Oracle (ORCL.US)$ have pledged to invest tens of billions of dollars in building large-scale data center complexes. Musk's xAI is also making significant expenditures, recently announcing the construction of a third data center near Memphis, Tennessee, with an investment of $20 billion.Last fall, Meta investors began to feel uneasy about the company’s aggressive spending plans on AI infrastructure. On October 29, 2025, the day Meta released its Q3 earnings report, Zuckerberg stated that the company’s total expenditure for the year would exceed the previously estimated $72 billion, causing Meta's stock to drop more than 7% after-hours. Over the past three months, Meta’s share price has fallen nearly 9%.Looking to pick stocks or analyze them? Want to know the opportunities and risks in your portfolio? For all investment-related questions,just ask Futubull AI!Editor/joryn
