Title: Meta Adopts Temporary Data Center Strategy, Borrowing from Tesla and xAI

In a move that adds another layer of unusual innovation to the ongoing AI infrastructure race, Meta has constructed data centers inside large tents. This unconventional approach mirrors strategies previously employed by Tesla and xAI. By utilizing these temporary structures, Meta aims to reduce construction timelines by 50%.

According to Michael Thomas, the founder of Cleanview—a firm that monitors data center development—the company has erected six "rapid deployment structures" near New Albany, Ohio. While Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had previously discussed his intention to use weatherproof tents for multi-gigawatt facilities in an interview with The Information, Thomas’s analysis of local permits and satellite imagery provides concrete evidence of the project’s rapid execution and magnitude.

Permits reviewed by Thomas indicate that Meta began constructing five of these tents, each spanning 125,000 square feet, between April and June 2026. Satellite photos shared by Thomas on X confirm that all structures have been completed. The choice to use tents recalls Tesla’s method of housing its Model 3 production line within temporary structures in a Fremont, California, parking lot during the vehicle’s ramp-up phase.

Powering the site are 200 megawatts of modular gas turbines, a power solution commonly utilized by rival xAI. Inside these enclosures, AI processors—potentially valued in the billions—are being deployed to handle computing tasks.

The emergence of these tent-based facilities coincides with challenges Meta has faced in rolling out its artificial intelligence models to the developer community. A recent Wall Street Journal report highlighted that while Meta’s latest large language model, Muse Spark, is finished, the APIs required for developers to integrate it into their applications have faced repeated delays.

Meta has announced a capital expenditure budget of up to $145 billion for data centers and related infrastructure. However, the market has reacted negatively to this heavy spending, with the company’s stock price falling 5% year-to-date. Deploying AI chips within tents represents one strategy to mitigate these costs. TechCrunch has contacted Meta for comment and will update this story if a response is received.

Source: TechCrunch Generated at: 2026-06-04 19:33:09 UTC