Meta has embedded low-carbon requirements into its data center construction specs, aiming to lower concrete’s carbon intensity by up to 20% below regional baselines
In sum – what to know:
AI-designed concrete – Amrize and Meta developed a unique concrete mix using AI models and lab-generated data, optimizing for strength, set time and sustainability.
35% carbon reduction – The new ECOPact mix reduces the concrete’s carbon footprint by 35%, contributing to Meta’s broader net-zero infrastructure targets.
Scaling sustainable materials – This pilot supports Meta’s wider push to decarbonize digital infrastructure using low-carbon concrete and design optimization.
Amrize has teamed up with Meta and the University of Illinois with the aim of creating an AI-optimized concrete mix uniquely designed for Meta’s data center currently under construction in Rosemount, Minnesota. This mix was developed to deliver high strength, controlled set time and reduced carbon footprint.
The new formulation combines Amrize’s materials science expertise with Meta’s open-source AI models and builds on research from The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which contributed critical data to train the models.
“We work to design our data centers as efficiently and sustainably as possible, while driving our AI ambitions forward,” said Julius Kusuma, research scientist at Meta. “By partnering with industry expert Amrize, the University of Illinois and Mortenson, we were able to maximize the performance and environmental profile of the concrete being used in our Rosemount Data Center. We are excited to continue testing different ways we can improve our material design in future projects with Amrize.”
Amrize is collaborating with hyperscale customers and builders like Mortenson to promote innovation and the adoption of low-carbon, high-performance building materials.
“Partnering with Meta and using AI to develop an innovative concrete mix that meets the unique needs of data centers is just the beginning,” said Jaime Hill, president of Amrize Building Materials. “Using AI, we can optimize our specialized concrete formulations for data center requirements, from performance needs like strength and durability to thermal regulation and energy-efficiency. We look forward to continuing this exciting work with Meta to scale up the adoption of advanced tailored concrete mixes.”
The AI-designed mix has already proven effective in meeting the structural and technical requirements of Meta’s Rosemount facility, particularly for critical slab-on-grade applications. According to Amrize, the use of its ECOPact low-carbon concrete is projected to cut the total carbon footprint of the material by 35%.
“AI-driven mix design lets us optimize concrete for performance, cost and carbon in one step,” added Nishant Garg of the University of Illinois, who led the data-generation effort. “As mixes become more complex—with innovative raw materials and product formulation —AI can also forecast critical properties like strength gain over time.”
This initiative complements Meta’s broader efforts to reduce the carbon impact of concrete throughout its data center portfolio. According to a December 2024 blog post, Meta is actively redesigning infrastructure to reduce concrete use where possible—such as eliminating it from duct banks—and prioritizing low-carbon concrete alternatives in other areas.
In recent years, Meta has embedded low-carbon requirements into its data center construction specs, aiming to lower concrete’s carbon intensity by up to 20% below regional baselines. The company has piloted alternative mixes using fly ash, slag, and other supplementary materials and is scaling up their use in critical components like data hall slabs.
Meta is also engaging with industry coalitions like the iMasons Climate Accord to push for carbon transparency and decarbonization across digital infrastructure. In partnership with the American Concrete Institute and Open Compute Project, Meta is helping test, validate, and promote new low-emissions concrete technologies. It has also backed startups like CarbonBuilt and CarbiCrete to accelerate the commercialization of cement alternatives that capture or avoid CO2 during production.
Meta plans to invest “hundreds of billions of dollars” in data center infrastructure to support its growing AI ambitions, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The company recently said it is accelerating spending on talent and compute infrastructure as it builds a dedicated team in the field of artificial super intelligence.
Artificial super intelligence (ASI) is a hypothetical software-based artificial intelligence (AI) system with an intellectual scope beyond human intelligence. At the most fundamental level, superintelligent AI would have cutting-edge cognitive functions and highly developed thinking skills more advanced than any human.
