According to a Bloomberg report on April 12, three key figures involved in OpenAI’s massive $100 billion project to build large-scale AI data center capacity are set to join Meta Inc.
These sources say Peter Hoeschele, who played a key role in OpenAI’s Stargate project, is one of the new hires at Meta. Joining him are Shamez Hemani, who is in charge of computing power strategy and business development, and Anuj Saharan, another head of the computing power division. Tech media outlet The Information reported on Thursday that the three had already left OpenAI.
OpenAI has not yet responded to requests for comment, but previously stated that the company appreciates the contributions of these three employees and is still recruiting talent for its infrastructure planning. Last November, OpenAI hired former Intel executive Sachin Katti to head its industrial computing business.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pledged significant investment in building the data centers, computing power, and talent needed to compete in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence race. This year alone, Meta anticipates capital expenditures of up to $135 billion (approximately RMB 924.265 billion at the current exchange rate), primarily focused on artificial intelligence infrastructure projects. Zuckerberg has also pledged to invest hundreds of billions more in AI infrastructure by the end of this decade.
This computing power will support the operations of Meta Superintelligence Labs, a team spearheaded by Zuckerberg to catch up with competitors in the field of artificial intelligence. Meta recently released Muse Spark, a new model developed by this lab.
Meanwhile, Project Stargate, announced at the White House last year, is a $500 billion collaboration between OpenAI, Oracle Corp., and SoftBank Group Corp. Recently, this project has evolved into a collective term for all of OpenAI’s data center plans.
OpenAI has stated that it is ahead of its AI peers in expanding its computing infrastructure to support its models. This includes the Abilene data center project in Texas, led by Heschel and his team. OpenAI recently stated in a memo to investors that its earlier deployment of computing power compared to competitor Anthropic PBC is a significant advantage.
However, the “Stargate” project has undergone several adjustments since its inception. OpenAI announced on Thursday that it will suspend its “Stargate” AI infrastructure project in the UK, citing a tightening of its large-scale spending plans ahead of its highly anticipated IPO. Furthermore, OpenAI and Oracle have decided not to renew their lease for the expansion of the Abilene data center.
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