Meta to invest bns in AI data centers, US steps in Armenia-Azerbaijan dispute

Meta Platforms is planning to invest hundreds of bns USD to establish AI data centers for superintelligence, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on Threads. The firm is also in the process of building more multi-GW and titan clusters, making Meta “the first lab to bring a 1 GW+ supercluster online,” Zuckerberg added. Meta said it would spend as much as USD 72 bn on capital expenditures in 2025 to focus on AI and data centers, Bloomberg reports.

More projects in the pipeline: Meta’s first multi-GW data center, Prometheus, should be operational in 2026, according to the news outlet. The firm will also build another data center, Hyperion, which should increase its capacity to 5 GW over the next few years. Meta’s superintelligence lab would also include researchers who previously worked for OpenAI and DeepMind after an aggressive recruitment push offering eight and nine-figure salaries, the news outlet reports.

ICYMI- OpenAI and Oracle are leading US companies involved in building a 5 GW US-UAE data center complex, spanning 10 sq miles in Abu Dhabi, to house UAE hyperscalers and large enterprises.

The US has proposed taking control of the Zangezur Corridor between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Middle East Eye reports, citing comments made by US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack. The proposal would see Washington bring in a US private company to act as a neutral operator for the corridor through a 100-year concession.

Zangezur Corridor? The 32km-long road is a major contested point in diplomatic negotiations between the two rivals, holding up a final peace agreement. The road is part of the Middle Corridor — a proposed intermodal trade route connecting Asia and Europe, passing through Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, and other Central Asia countries, according to a Carnegie Endowment report.

A point of contention: While both countries, alongside their peace mediator Turkey, view the project positively and back its establishment, sovereignty over the link remains a highly contested area between Baku and Yerevan. As a mediator, Turkey considers Armenia a crucial piece of the Middle Corridor, with Turkish companies reportedly keen to get involved in any future infrastructure projects within Armenia, according to Middle East Eye.