Who's financing Meta's massive AI data center?

Nov 25, 2025
9 mins

Episode Description

In a rural pocket of northeastern Louisiana, Meta is building a $30 billion data center called Hyperion. But it’s not being completely financed with Meta’s own money. Today on the show, the opaque system of AI data center financing and why it’s fueling fears of a bubble. 

Related episodes: 
OpenAI’s deals are looking a little frothy 
No AI data centers in my backyard! 
What $10B in data centers actually gets you 

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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