Meta Platforms has finalised an agreement with Alphabet’s Google, valued at a minimum of $10bn, to utilise cloud computing services.

This move is part of Meta’s initiative to invest significantly in AI.

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram will commit to a minimum expenditure of $10bn over a six-year period to leverage Google Cloud’s servers and storage capabilities.

This strategy aims to enhance Meta’s computing power as it strives to deliver AI tools to its users, reported Bloomberg citing sources who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the deal.

The Information was the first to report on this agreement.

Google has confirmed the deal but has not provided additional comments, while Meta has chosen not to comment.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has committed to investing hundreds of billions of dollars in AI and the necessary infrastructure to support its growth.

The company operates more than two dozen data centres and is constructing additional facilities, including a four million square feet site in rural Louisiana, but many of these will not be operational for several years.

Zuckerberg aims to secure the highest computing power per AI researcher in a timely manner.

In 2023, Google Cloud announced plans to offer versions of Meta’s open-source AI model, Llama, via its app developer platform, Vertex AI.

This initiative is part of Google Cloud’s strategy to establish itself as a comprehensive solution for AI.

The distribution agreement allows businesses and developers to easily access and create applications using Meta’s AI models through Google Cloud.

Meta has previously conducted smaller-scale experiments with Google Cloud technologies.