Meta has unveiled 4 custom chips aimed at AI workloads, CNBC reported on March 11.

The chip development is part of a strategy to reduce reliance on Nvidia and AMD and to improve cost efficiency at its own data centres.

Meta said the MTIA 300 chip it unveiled has already been deployed to support Meta’s core ranking and recommendation work, and that MTIA 400, 450 and 500 will process generative AI tasks. Song Yijun (송이준), a Meta vice president of engineering, said releasing a new chip every 6 months is unusual even for silicon companies, and said the move is intended to meet rapidly expanding demand for data centres.

Meta is building large data centres in Louisiana, Ohio and Indiana, and is also considering additional sites in Texas. Supply shortages of high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which is essential for producing AI chips, could be an obstacle. Meta recently signed long-term contracts with Nvidia and AMD to secure a diversified chip supply chain.

Meta’s AI chips are manufactured at Taiwan’s TSMC. Song said chip development helps secure diversity in silicon supply and allows flexibility in responding to price changes.