Meta is preparing a major investment of $14.3 billion to strengthen its position in the field of artificial intelligence. In this context, the company is establishing a major partnership with Scale AI, which operates in the fields of data labeling and artificial intelligence training.
Meta is preparing to become one of the company’s largest strategic partners by acquiring a 49 percent stake in Scale AI. As part of this agreement, Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang will head a newly established artificial intelligence research laboratory within Meta.
Meta does not want to fall behind in the artificial intelligence race: $14 billion investment in Scale AI!
Since its establishment in 2016, Scale AI has assumed a critical role in the field of data preparation in generative artificial intelligence technologies, especially in recent years. The company has come to the fore by providing data infrastructure for artificial intelligence models of technology giants such as OpenAI, Google and Microsoft.
The company, which already has Meta among its major customers, reached a valuation of $14 billion in an investment round last year. In mid-2024, it had expanded by renting a new 180,000-square-foot office in a building in San Francisco.
Meta’s move came after the company’s latest Llama 4 artificial intelligence model failed to garner the expected attention. According to sources within the company, Mark Zuckerberg directly attributed this investment to Wang’s leadership in order to more effectively implement Meta’s artificial intelligence vision. Wang’s technical know-how and entrepreneurial experience will play a key role in Meta’s breakthrough plans in this area.
Instead of purchasing Scale AI outright, Meta made a strategic move by partnering with the company. This choice is similar to similar partnership models established by giants such as Google and Microsoft with Character.AI and Inflection AI.
Meta is currently avoiding making direct acquisitions as it faces an antitrust lawsuit with the US Federal Trade Commission. In order to avoid further confronting regulatory authorities, the company preferred to join the shareholder structure instead of a major acquisition.
Scale AI is on a remarkable rise not only in the commercial field but also in the defense industry. The company signed a multi-year agreement with the US Department of Defense in March. It also worked on a special AI model called Defense Llama, which was developed with Meta in November 2024 and designed to be used in national security missions.
No official statement has been made from Meta and Scale AI so far. However, according to sources close to the agreement, some senior figures from Scale AI, as well as Wang, will work in Meta’s newly established AI laboratory. Meta aims to further its R&D studies in the field of artificial intelligence through this laboratory.
