Zuckerberg: Considering Cloud Business Is Reasonable, But Doesn't Mean We Have Excess Capacity

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly stated that while the company needs all the computing power it can secure, he is considering whether it might be more valuable to lease some of its compute resources to others, given the extreme scarcity of resources required for developing and running AI models in the current market.

Bloomberg reported on July 9 (local time) that Zuckerberg made these remarks during an interview with the news outlet.

"The offers that we get for using our compute are so high that, in some ways, it might be rational to just rent it out or do those kinds of deals instead of using it ourselves," Zuckerberg said.

He noted that the potential for a cloud business "is definitely there if we ever wanted to do it."

However, he added that this does not mean Meta has overbuilt its infrastructure or possesses excess computing power.

"I don't think anyone in the industry feels like they have too much compute," he said, emphasizing that Meta is currently utilizing all the computing power it possesses at full capacity.

Previously, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that Meta is considering various forms of cloud business utilizing its own infrastructure.

The options under consideration reportedly include a platform service where developers can run Meta's own AI model, Muse Spark, or competitors' AI models via API—similar to Amazon Web Services' (AWS) Bedrock service—as well as an infrastructure service that leases entire data center compute resources to external parties.

While Zuckerberg did not confirm whether he is exploring the option of selling access to competitors' models, he said, "That is something that we could certainly do, and I think it's worth considering."

"As a kind of safety valve, if for some reason we don't need to use all the compute ourselves, or if other things happen, I think there is a huge market demand to sell that computing resource externally, just like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud," Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg has recently shown interest in the business model adopted by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

SpaceX is leasing its large-scale data center in Memphis to Anthropic and has also signed contracts with Google.

"The SpaceX model is very interesting, where they signed short-term contracts at a high premium," Zuckerberg said. "We are receiving various such proposals, and we will evaluate them to see what makes sense."

Meta announced on this day that it plans to sell access to its latest AI coding model, Muse Spark 1.1, via API, which can be viewed as a form of cloud service.

This marks the first instance of the company generating revenue from its self-developed AI model.

Nevertheless, Zuckerberg stated, "For now, I think we have plenty of internal uses for our compute."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.