Meta Creates a Superintelligence Research Center
In June 2025, Meta is drawing the attention of the technology world with two major moves in artificial intelligence. It is negotiating a potentially record-breaking investment in Scale AI while also creating an entirely new research laboratory focused on superintelligence. Meta, which has historically relied primarily on developing AI technologies in-house, has now decided to make external investments to accelerate innovation in this key field.
Multi-Billion-Dollar Investment in Scale AI
Meta is in advanced talks over an investment in Scale AI that could exceed $10 billion and, under some scenarios, reach nearly $15 billion. This would represent Meta's largest external investment in artificial intelligence in the company's history, surpassing all its previous external partnerships and reaching the level of investments made by competitors such as Microsoft in OpenAI and Amazon in Anthropic. Scale AI, which was most recently valued at $14 billion in 2024, has established itself as a key player in the generative artificial intelligence boom, and its customers already include technology giants such as Microsoft and OpenAI.
Scale AI provides critical data-labeling services that are essential for training machine learning models. At a time when the quality and quantity of training data determine the performance of AI systems, these services are becoming strategically important for all companies developing advanced AI technologies. Through its investment, Meta is not only gaining access to Scale AI's expertise and resources, but also securing a competitive advantage in accessing the high-quality data needed to develop its AI systems.
Alexandr Wang to Lead New Superintelligence Laboratory
Alongside the investment talks, Meta is also forming an entirely new artificial intelligence research laboratory that will specialize in developing "superintelligence"—AI systems that surpass human intelligence. According to The New York Times, the laboratory will be led by Alexandr Wang, the founder and CEO of Scale AI. Wang's appointment as head of the laboratory represents an important step for Meta, bringing one of the most influential leaders in AI into its ranks.
The new laboratory represents Meta's latest effort to gain the upper hand in the rapidly intensifying battle for dominance in artificial intelligence. This move complements the company's massive internal investments in research and infrastructure, with Meta planning to spend up to $65 billion on AI infrastructure in 2025. The creation of a specialized superintelligence laboratory shows that Meta does not view current AI technologies as the ultimate goal, but is instead focusing on developing systems that could fundamentally transform the technological landscape.
Meta's Shift in the Competitive Battle
These moves signal a fundamental strategic shift for Meta, which until now has relied primarily on developing AI technologies in-house and on an open-source approach through its Llama models. Now, however, the company is making unprecedented external bets to accelerate innovation, reflecting the growing competitive pressure in artificial intelligence. Meta is seeking to compete with its rivals at a time when its AI assistant already serves one billion monthly users and the company is preparing new standalone AI products.
The partnership with Scale AI and Alexandr Wang comes as other technology giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet are competing intensely for dominance in generative artificial intelligence. Each company is looking for ways to gain a competitive advantage, whether through its own research, strategic partnerships, or acquisitions of key market players. By combining massive investment in an external company with the creation of a specialized research laboratory, Meta is demonstrating its determination not only to keep pace with the competition, but potentially to surpass it.
The success of these initiatives will have far-reaching implications not only for Meta's future, but also for the entire technology sector and the development of artificial intelligence itself.
