Zuckerberg’s Billion-Dollar Bet on Data Centres: Powering the Next Era of Sustainable Tech Talent
The global rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), has resulted in a fundamental transformation in the infrastructure supporting it. At the centre of this evolution is Meta’s massive investment in next-generation data centres which have been designed to support the future of AI at an unprecedented scale.
Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta’s plan to invest $60–65 billion into AI infrastructure in 2025. This plan focused on building data centres with energy usage equivalent to nuclear reactors. This can be seen as a key motivator in driving the way we energise and manage data ecosystems in the future and fundamental for the sustainability and cleantech workforce.
How Data Centres are Powering the AI Revolution:
The development of large language models (LLMs), image generators, and other AI tools demands significantly more computing power than traditional cloud or web hosting services ever did. The hardware powering these systems, such as the 1.3 million Nvidia GPUs planned by Meta is highly specialised, heat-intensive, and resource-consuming.
Traditional data centres are simply not equipped to handle this scale. That’s why tech giants are now competing to build new-generation facilities. Meta has implemented plans to bring 2GW+ of new capacity online, a level of growth unimaginable five years ago.
As AI development continues to grow, so does the need for advanced infrastructure. However, behind buzzwords like “superintelligence” and “neural networks” lies a fundamental question:
How do we power it all without destroying the planet?
The Sustainability Challenge:
Due to how energy-intensive AI’s infrastructure is, it is placing a strain on power systems. Data analysts estimate that by 2030, data centres could account for 8% of global electricity use. However, in response to the rising energy concerns, some governments, including Ireland and the Netherlands have paused or restricted new data centre developments.
Meta’s approach comes with a significant amount of responsibility. Its facilities such as the $10 billion data centre in Louisiana will require the same electricity load as entire cities. Meta is actively engaging with the U.S. government on regulatory challenges and international tech policy where environmental oversight is fundamental.
As the number of GPUs and high-performance chips increases, so does the need for:
- Renewable energy sourcing
- Water-efficient cooling systems
- Energy storage solutions for grid stability
- Strategies for carbon offsetting
- Sustainable and circular approaches to material sourcing
As such, Zuckerberg’s investment isn’t just in data, it’s in power, sustainability, and policy.
The Rise of Private Green Infrastructure:
Meta is constantly adapting how large-scale projects are financed. They have invested $29 billion in private funding by collaborating with major global financial institutions, including Apollo, KKR, and Carlyle.
The shift towards private credit for AI data centre infrastructure opens the door for flexible, sustainable investments in green energy and tech. It also suggests that climate-aligned capital is a fundamental sector of modern innovation.
Meta’s strategic shift mirrors those of other tech giants such as Microsoft, who recently announced their $80 billion AI capex plan. AI and sustainability are shaping our future and the need for clean and reliable infrastructure has become a key competitive advantage.
The Cleantech Talent Opportunity:
At Experts Group International, we have witnessed a growing demand for sustainability-focused professionals who understand the complex intersection of energy systems, digital infrastructure, and environmental compliance.
The roles we’re sourcing for our clients include:
- Engineers (electrical, mechanical, renewable systems)
- Project Managers (especially with offshore wind or solar experience)
- Operations Managers (support facility management and provide technical sales support)
(See all of our available CleanTech roles here)
If you are hiring data centre professionals, you can speak to one of our consulting experts here.
Lastly, if you are exploring new work opportunities within the CleanTech industry, click here to see our available roles.