Meta Leases Massive Data Center From Reliance to Boost AI Infrastructure. All That Money Is Buying Muscle for META Stock.

Meta Platforms (META) is pouring billions of dollars into the computing power that runs artificial intelligence (AI). Now the social media giant is looking abroad to keep the buildout going.

Meta is in the middle of one of the largest infrastructure pushes in corporate history. On the company's first-quarter 2026 earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Susan Li said the company now expects to spend between $125 billion and $145 billion on capital expenditures this year. That's up from an earlier range of $115 billion to $135 billion. Li pointed to higher component prices, especially memory, as one reason for the jump in capex.

The bigger story is what all that money buys: inference capacity. In plain terms, that's the computing muscle Meta needs to run AI agents for billions of people simultaneously. CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors that new cloud and infrastructure deals added a $107 billion step-up in the company's future commitments in a single quarter. 

Translation? Meta needs a lot more data centers. And it can't build them all itself.

Inside the Meta-Reliance Data Center Deal in India

Last week, Meta announced that it will lease an AI data center from Reliance Industries in India. The site will offer 168 megawatts of capacity. A sprawling conglomerate with a presence in oil, textiles, retail, telecom, and media, Reliance will build the facility in Jamnagar and hand it over within two years, with room to scale later. 

Zuckerberg called the data center a “world-class facility” that will help Meta grow its AI work globally while investing in India's economy. Notably, Meta invested $5.7 billion in Reliance's Jio Platforms in 2020, and last year the two teamed up to bring Meta's open-source AI models to Indian businesses.

For Meta, leasing makes sense, as building a data center from scratch is a long process. Renting a facility that is already planned will get the company online faster.

Why Global Tech Giants Are Turning to India

India has quickly become one of the hottest markets for AI infrastructure. According to the CNBC, roughly $400 billion has flowed into the country's AI ecosystem over the past year, with most of it going toward data centers and related power solutions.

The momentum isn't expected to slow. India's data-center capacity could climb to 7 gigawatts by 2030, according to research from brokerage Nomura. India is also cheaper to build in than many other Western and Asian markets, which is a big draw. The Indian government is helping, too. Earlier in 2026, India rolled out a 20-year tax break for hyperscalers that use local data centers to serve global customers.

Power is the other piece of the puzzle. AI data centers need huge amounts of electricity. To feed its India-based operations, Meta is also working with clean energy firms CleanMax and Fourth Partner Energy on roughly 1 gigawatt of renewable power. Meta said these projects align with its goal of “matching all operations with 100% clean and renewable energy.”

Things are increasingly being run on AI, and that AI has to live somewhere. Right now, a growing chunk of it is heading to India.

What's Next for META Stock?

Valued at a market capitalization of $1.43 trillion, META stock has more than doubled over the last three years. Today, META stock trades 29% below its 52-week high, offering investors an opportunity to buy the dip.

Analysts tracking the stock forecast adjusted earnings to expand from $29.68 per share in 2025 to about $57 per share in 2030. If the tech giant is priced at roughly 20 times forward earnings, which is below its 10-year average, it could double again within the next four years. 

Overall, META stock has a “Strong Buy” consensus rating. Out of the 54 analysts covering Meta Platforms, 42 recommend a “Strong Buy,” two recommend a “Moderate Buy,” nine recommend a “Hold” rating, and one recommends a “Strong Sell” rating. The average price target of $826.78 represents potential upside of 46% from current levels.