Dateline: November 12, 2025
Meta Platforms, Inc. opened Wednesday with a major infrastructure move and fresh regulatory headlines. The Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads owner formally broke ground on a new, AI‑optimized data center in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, while Australia advanced plans that could levy multimillion‑dollar penalties on platforms that refuse to pay local publishers. META shares traded lower alongside other mega‑cap tech stocks. 1
AI infrastructure push: Meta breaks ground on its 30th data center
Meta confirmed it is building a more‑than‑$1 billion data center campus in Beaver Dam—its 30th globally—designed specifically to power “ambitious AI workloads.” The company says the facility’s electricity use will be matched with 100% clean and renewable energy and is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. 1
Key details Meta disclosed today:
- Investment and jobs: Over $1 billion invested; 100+ long‑term operational roles and 1,000+ skilled trades jobs at peak construction. 1
- Grid and build‑out: Meta will underwrite nearly $200 million in energy‑infrastructure upgrades, including network improvements, substations and transmission lines. 1
- Water stewardship: The campus will use dry‑cooling (no water consumed for cooling when operational) and restore 100% of water used by the data center to local watersheds. 1
- Community commitments: A $15 million donation over time to Alliant Energy’s Hometown Care Energy Fund to help local families with utility costs; Meta will also fund Data Center Community Action Grants next fall. 1
- Habitat restoration: In partnership with Ducks Unlimited and others, Meta will help restore 570 acres of wetlands and prairie around the site, including ~175 acres deeded for conservation work. 1
Local outlets also noted the company publicly “introduced itself” to the Beaver Dam community today and reiterated the 2027 operational target being discussed at the event. 2
Why Wisconsin—and why now
Meta says Beaver Dam was chosen for “reliable infrastructure” and access to a skilled workforce, part of a broader capacity race to support AI across the company’s apps and services. The Wisconsin project follows Meta’s stepped‑up U.S. buildout and capital‑spending plans flagged this month, which emphasize front‑loading compute and data‑center capacity for AI. 1
Regulatory watch: Australia advances penalties for platforms that don’t pay publishers
Australia’s government set out new details for a “news bargaining incentive” that would apply penalties based on platform revenue generated in Australia for companies that decline to strike content‑payment deals—explicitly targeting platforms with A$250 million+ in local revenue regardless of whether they carry news content. The proposal, now entering public consultation, could result in multimillion‑dollar liabilities for companies such as Meta that have not renewed prior deals. Consultation runs to December 19, 2025. 3
Why it matters: Meta has pulled back from paid news arrangements in multiple markets while de‑prioritizing news in its apps. Australia’s move suggests regulators are preparing revenue‑linked penalties to keep money flowing to local journalism even if news links decline on platforms. 3
Market reaction: Tech rotation weighs on META
U.S. equities were mixed midday as investors rotated out of mega‑cap tech. Meta shares traded down roughly 2.3%–2.6% alongside other large tech names, according to Reuters’ intraday read, with gains in more defensive sectors offsetting a softer Nasdaq. 4
The AI capacity backdrop (context from the last 24 hours)
Meta’s Wisconsin project lands as AI infrastructure suppliers broadcast new deals with hyperscalers. On Tuesday, Nebius said it signed a $3 billion, five‑year agreement to provide Meta with AI infrastructure, underscoring ongoing demand for high‑performance compute to train and serve AI models. 5
What to watch next
- Project timetable & local permitting: Meta’s Wisconsin site is now in build phase; watch for construction milestones and community‑grant program details in 2026. 1
- Australia’s consultation: The government will take submissions through Dec. 19 before finalizing the approach; it’s a key test of whether revenue‑linked penalties become a template for other markets. 3
- AI capex and sourcing: As AI hardware remains capacity‑constrained, follow Meta’s supplier agreements and energy deals (including clean‑power commitments) that underpin large‑scale training clusters. 5
Bottom line
Meta used today to spotlight hard infrastructure: a $1B+ AI‑ready data center in Wisconsin with water‑saving design, renewable‑energy matching and an unusually large community‑benefit package. The same day, Australia put fresh pressure on platforms that avoid news deals—an issue that could reshape platform economics in that market. Investors, meanwhile, marked the news within a broader tech selloff, leaving the stock lower intraday. 1
Sources: Meta Newsroom (company announcement); The Guardian (Australia media‑bargaining incentive details); Reuters (U.S. market move; Nebius‑Meta AI infrastructure agreement). 1
