Meta Tests Robots for Data Center Operations
Meta Platforms is experimenting with robots to perform tasks such as plugging in cables and resetting servers in its data centers. The initiative aims to reduce human labor needs and control costs as AI infrastructure spending rises.
Meta Platforms is testing robots to handle physical tasks within its data centers, including connecting cables and resetting servers, according to multiple current and former employees familiar with the projects. The effort is intended to streamline data center operations and potentially decrease the need for human workers, especially as the company's investments in AI infrastructure escalate.
The company is utilizing robots and related hardware from various vendors, including Watney Robotics, Kinova, and ABB, as part of these trials. One experiment involves evaluating a Kinova Gen3 robotic arm for power cycling servers, while another tests a robot designed for swapping network cables. Neither Meta nor the mentioned vendors have officially commented on the ongoing trials.
One data center worker estimates that a successful implementation of the cable-swapping robot could replace up to 80 percent of the workload for certain human roles. The worker expressed concern that automation is increasingly impacting physical labor roles, suggesting potential shifts in employment within the sector. Details regarding the scope and timeline of this initiative have not been fully disclosed.