Meta Eyes Anthropic as First Cloud Customer in $10 Billion Push to Monetize AI Infrastructure
Published on 07/18/2026 at 06:13 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
Meta Platforms is laying the groundwork for a dramatic expansion beyond its advertising roots, with preliminary talks to supply Anthropic with computing power in a deal worth up to $10 billion over two years. The arrangement, first proposed by Anthropic in June and reported by the New York Times, would see Meta rent out raw compute capacity — a move that would instantly thrust the social-media giant into direct competition with cloud specialists such as CoreWeave and Nebius. Neither company has confirmed the discussions, and multiple news agencies note that a final agreement is far from certain: both sides would retain early-exit clauses, and Meta is still weighing the proposal.
The potential deal is the most concrete sign yet that Mark Zuckerberg intends to turn Meta's enormous AI infrastructure into a separate revenue engine. Zuckerberg said in May that entering the cloud business was "definitely on the table" and that companies approach Meta weekly about buying capacity at a premium. To lead the charge, Meta has hired Dave Brown, a 19-year Amazon Web Services veteran, who will report to infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan and run the newly branded "Meta Compute" program. The initiative covers not only raw compute rental but also hosted access to Meta's own AI models.
Anthropic, for its part, is already spreading its compute bets: it has a $45 billion, three-year contract with SpaceX and is reportedly in separate talks with Microsoft about using its Maia AI chips. The Meta deal would represent roughly one-third of that SpaceX volume, giving Anthropic additional flexibility as it scales its large-language-model operations.
Meta's cloud ambitions sit atop a mountain of capital spending. The company is expanding its Louisiana data-center campus from 2 gigawatts to 5 gigawatts at a cost of more than $50 billion, and building a $9 billion facility in Alberta, Canada. Total capital expenditure for 2026 has been guided to $125–$145 billion, a figure that has unnerved investors even as Meta's free cash flow reached $49.4 billion over the trailing twelve months. BMO Capital analyst Brian Pitz, who rates the stock at "Market Perform" with a $720 price target, flagged the low visibility of AI returns and regulatory risk as headwinds — though he noted that free cash flow could nearly double if Meta were to dial back its AI spending.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Meta?
The stock's reaction to the Anthropic report was muted and quickly reversed by a broader tech sell-off. Meta shares closed at €564.60 on Friday, down 2.5% on the day and 3.7% for the week. The decline was part of a rout that pushed the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index into bear-market territory, losing about 11% in seven days, compounded by a weak Netflix outlook and rising anxiety about frothy AI valuations. Meta's stock remains 16.7% below its 52-week high of €677.80 set in late July, though it has rallied 14.4% over the past 30 days and still trades above its 50-day moving average of €523.38.
Adding to the mood, insider transactions came to light just as the Anthropic news broke. CFO Susan Li sold 148,802 shares worth roughly $95 million, while COO Javier Olivan cashed out 37,184 shares valued at about $23.4 million. The sales occurred within standard compensation programs but drew extra scrutiny given the capital intensity of Meta's AI strategy.
The backdrop also includes a bitter round of layoffs. Roughly 8,000 employees — 10% of the workforce — are slated to lose their jobs starting July 22 after a U.S. judge denied a request by 26 affected workers to delay the cuts. Zuckerberg has acknowledged that the ramp-up of AI agents has not accelerated as quickly as anticipated.
Meta at a turning point? This analysis reveals what investors need to know now.
Despite the swirl of headwinds, Wall Street remains predominantly bullish. The consensus rating is "Strong Buy," with median price targets clustered around $823 to $828 — well above the current level. No analysts are recommending a sell. Whether the Anthropic deal materializes will test whether Meta can translate its staggering infrastructure outlay into a genuine new revenue stream, a question that will likely dominate the narrative in the quarters ahead.
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