Overview
- Meta told investors after its July 29 earnings call that it is receiving offers from third parties to buy access to its AI compute at prices above what Meta paid to build the infrastructure.
- The company reported weak headline Q2 results with earnings per share down 13% and free cash flow plunging about 91%, while Q2 capital spending reached $31.1 billion and full‑year 2026 capex was raised to $130–$145 billion.
- Media reports describe early, unfinalized talks between Meta and Anthropic for a possible arrangement worth as much as $10 billion over two years for rented AI compute, but both companies have declined to confirm a deal.
- Meta has made hires tied to cloud operations and is running an internal effort called Meta Compute, moves that company officials and reporters say indicate a serious push to commercialize excess capacity.
- Investors have reacted skeptically — Meta’s stock fell sharply after the earnings release — though the company’s growing ad revenue and 3.6 billion daily users provide financial runway while commercial deals are still uncertain.