Meta Begins Production of AI Chip 'Iris'

Meta has announced that it will begin production of its new AI chip "Iris" in September 2026. This move aims to make the company less dependent on Nvidia, whose chips currently play a central role in AI infrastructure. The decision to develop its own chip is part of a broader strategy aimed at increasing control over hardware and reducing operational costs. Investments in AI data centers are expected to amount to several billion dollars. Meta plans to expand its infrastructure to meet the growing demand for AI applications and services.

These investments are part of a long-term plan to advance AI research and development within the company while simultaneously reducing reliance on external providers. The "Iris" chip will be specifically optimized for machine learning and AI applications. Meta has already announced that the chip is expected to offer higher energy efficiency and performance than currently available solutions. This could give Meta a competitive advantage, especially in a market increasingly driven by demand for AI-powered technologies. The development of the chip takes place in an environment where competition in AI hardware is intensifying.

Companies like Google and Amazon have already developed their own chips to optimize their cloud services. Meta sees the need to catch up in this area and offer its own solutions to secure market share. The decision to develop its own chip is also a response to global supply chain issues that were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. By producing chips internally, Meta aims to be less vulnerable to external disruptions and to reduce production costs in the long term. The first prototypes of the "Iris" chip have already been tested and show promising results.

Meta has emphasized that the tests include both the performance and reliability of the chip. The final version of the chip is expected to be further optimized in the coming months before mass production begins. Meta has also committed to considering sustainability in chip production. The company plans to use environmentally friendly materials and processes to minimize the ecological footprint of the new technology. This aligns with the company's goals to reduce its environmental impact.

The introduction of the "Iris" chip could also impact pricing in the AI market. Analysts expect that the availability of Meta's own chip will intensify competition in the AI hardware sector. This could lead to lower prices for AI services, which in turn could promote the adoption of AI technologies across various industries. Meta plans to use the "Iris" chip not only for its own applications but also to offer it to third parties. This could represent a new revenue stream for the company and promote the spread of its technologies in the industry.

However, the exact pricing structure and availability for external partners are not yet known. The official announcement regarding the production of the "Iris" chip was made on July 11, 2026. Meta has emphasized that the development and production of the chip is a crucial step in the company's strategy to maintain its leadership position in AI technology. The first deployments of the "Iris" chip in Meta's own data centers are planned for the fourth quarter of 2026. This will serve as a testing phase before the chip is deployed more broadly.