Meta Platforms has announced plans to begin production of its in-house artificial intelligence chip, code-named Iris, in September as part of a broader strategy to expand custom hardware development and reduce reliance on external suppliers. The move, outlined in an internal company memo reviewed by Reuters, aims to boost Meta’s computing capacity to 14 gigawatts next year while supporting the growing demands of AI workloads across Facebook, Instagram, and other services.
Iris AI Chip: A Step Forward for Meta’s MTIA Program
The Iris chip is part of Meta’s MTIA (Meta Training and Inference Accelerator) program. According to the memo, the chip completed bug testing in just six weeks with no major issues—a notable achievement for a program that has faced earlier delays since its launch over five years ago. Broadcom is assisting with design, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is expected to handle production. The chip will not immediately replace GPUs from Nvidia and AMD but will complement them, supporting large-scale AI training and inference workloads.
The memo notes that adopting the latest GPUs at Meta’s scale “has been a heavy lift, and it has cost us time,” underscoring the company’s push for greater control over its AI hardware stack. Meta declined to comment on the Reuters report.
Computing Capacity Expansion: 14 GW by Next Year
Meta plans to deploy 7 gigawatts of computing infrastructure this year, having added 1 gigawatt in the first half and expecting to add another 5.5 gigawatts by year-end. The company then aims to double total capacity to 14 gigawatts next year. To put that in perspective, 1 gigawatt can power approximately 800,000 homes, highlighting the immense energy requirements of large-scale AI data centers.
This expansion comes as major tech firms ramp up AI infrastructure spending. Meta expects to spend up to $145 billion on AI infrastructure this year, part of a projected $700 billion in Big Tech spending on AI technology.
Reducing Supplier Dependence with Custom Silicon
Meta’s custom chip initiative is designed to reduce cost pressures tied to purchasing advanced AI chips from external suppliers like Nvidia and AMD. It also enables faster hardware iteration: Meta unveiled Iris under its technical name in March, along with three other AI processors, and plans to release a new chip roughly every six months through 2027—a much faster cycle than the industry standard of one year or more.
Mike Gualtieri, a vice president and principal analyst at Forrester, commented, “You can’t become an AI titan if you are dependent on another company for chips.” He added that hyperscalers and SpaceX are also pursuing custom chip designs as model usage becomes more price-driven.
Long-Term Supply Deals Support Data Center Growth
To support its data center buildout, Meta has secured multi-year supply agreements with Samsung Electronics for memory chips, Sandisk for flash storage, and Sumitomo Electric for fiber-optic equipment. These deals are critical as AI demand strains the global chip supply chain, driving up prices for memory, storage, and AI processors. Sandisk declined to comment, while Samsung and Sumitomo Electric did not respond to Reuters requests.
Morgan Stanley analysts have described rising chip and memory prices as “chipflation,” a broader concern for the technology sector. Meanwhile, companies like Apple have raised prices on some products amid memory supply constraints.
Meta shares initially fell after the Reuters report but later recovered, trading up 4.6% in late afternoon trading after the company announced developer access to an AI coding model that competes with tools from OpenAI and Anthropic.