Meta is testing robots to carry out physical tasks in its data centres, such as plugging in cables, resetting servers and swapping networking equipment, according to current and former staff. The previously unreported effort could eventually allow Meta to run its rapidly growing data centre operations with fewer human technicians, helping to control labour costs as its spending on AI infrastructure continues to surge.

Meta is trialling equipment from several vendors, including Watney Robotics, Kinova and ABB, with one experiment testing whether a Kinova Gen3 robotic arm can power-cycle or cut electricity to servers. One worker estimated a successful cable-swapping robot could replace up to 80% of some employees' workloads, while a simpler device has already been deployed to remotely press power buttons on machines. Meta says it remains committed to hiring and training human workers, citing a shortage of skilled labour, but a company robotics manager has described putting robots in data centres as a "long-term goal", and industry figures argue robots could ultimately let facilities operate in extreme environments, such as underwater or in space, without the need for on-site staff.