Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is trying a new tactic to appease growing opposition to the proliferation of data centers across the country.
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In a sweeping 6,500-word letter penned by Zuckerberg about the "path to a positive AI future," the tech mogul announced that Meta would create a "Future Is For Everyone Fund" to support the communities where it builds artificial intelligence infrastructure.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed that the fund was $1B and told Bisnow in a statement that the fund will begin working with communities to "create customized investments and programs shaped by local needs."
"Sustainable infrastructure development means that communities must benefit significantly from each project," Zuckerberg wrote. "This includes high-paying local jobs, investment in schools and public services, ensuring energy prices don't rise, and taking care of the environment."
Zuckerberg also wrote that Meta sees that the communities it invests in over the long term are more supportive of development than communities where "speculators start building with minimal investment in the community." He pointed to the historical benefits for towns that brought in innovations like railroads, electrification and broadband.
Additional details about the newly launched fund are scant, but the Meta spokesperson said the company would have more to share soon.
The move comes as public opinion has begun to sour on new data center development. Seven in 10 Americans are opposed to constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, according to a May Gallup poll.
The $1B fund is also a mere drop in the bucket in comparison to Meta's projected $145B in capital expenditures in 2026, most of which is concentrated in AI infrastructure.
Meta has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into AI build-outs, almost entirely to improve its own products. But over the past several weeks, it has pivoted toward incorporating AI cloud services into its business model.
Zuckerberg said on the company's earnings call in late July that it would plan to begin “selling compute directly” to other large AI firms. The decision came as analysts pointed to rising investor anxiety over a lack of returns on AI investments by major tech companies.
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