Meta Platforms is in talks to invest in artificial intelligence startup Scale AI. According to sources, the amount of the investment could exceed $10 billion, which would make it one of the largest in the private sector. However, the terms of the deal are not yet final and may change. This is reported by Bloomberg.
Scale AI specializes in labeling data that is used to train machine learning models. The company's clients include major tech giants such as Microsoft and OpenAI. Thanks to the boom in generative AI, Scale AI is growing rapidly: last year its revenue was about $870 million, and in 2025 it is projected to increase to $2 billion.
Previously, the startup was valued at $14 billion in 2024, and now it could be worth as much as $25 billion. Meta and Microsoft have invested in Scale AI before. For Meta, this will potentially be the largest external investment in the field of AI, which indicates the importance of this technology for the company. Meta used to rely more on its own research and open strategies for developing AI, but now it is actively investing externally to keep up with competitors.
Other big tech companies, such as Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet, are also investing heavily in AI. Some of the investment comes through loans for the use of computing resources. Meta does not have its own cloud business, so the format of its investment has not yet been specified.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made artificial intelligence a priority for the company, and plans to spend up to $65 billion on the area by 2025. The company also has ambitions to make its Llama model the global standard in AI. The model is available on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It is already used by billions of users every month.
Meta and Scale AI are also collaborating on defense technology. Meta recently announced a partnership with Anduril Industries to develop military products, including an AI-powered helmet with virtual and augmented reality elements. The companies are also working together on the Defense Llama, a military-grade version of the Llama model.
Scale AI is also actively working with the US government in the defense sector. Earlier this year, the company received a contract from the Department of Defense to develop AI agent technology, which is considered an important step in the development of military technology.