Meta in talks to lease data centers to AI startup Anthropic in potential $10B deal

Meta is in early-stage discussions with AI startup Anthropic to lease computing power from its data centers, in a deal that could be worth as much as $10 billion over two years, according to the New York Times Source: CNA. The talks, first reported by the NYT, are still preliminary and may not result in an agreement Source: CNN.

The deal

Anthropic proposed the arrangement in June, and Meta is considering it Source: CNA. The startup would pay Meta in monthly installments over two years, though terms could change and either party can exit early Source: CNA. CNN reports that any specific numbers are speculative Source: CNN.

The potential deal comes after Anthropic struck a similar agreement with Elon Musk's SpaceX in May to access the full computing power of its Colossus 1 data center Source: Ground News.

Strategic implications

For Meta, leasing compute would mark a new revenue stream beyond advertising, competing with neocloud providers like CoreWeave and Nebius Source: CNA. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the shareholder meeting in May that selling compute has been 'an option' and that companies approach Meta 'almost every week' to buy access Source: Engadget. Meta plans to spend $125-$145 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, largely on AI infrastructure .