Meta Tests Robots for Cable Swaps and Server Resets in Data Centers
Meta is testing robots that can plug in cables, reset servers, and perform other technician tasks inside its data centers, according to current and former workers familiar with the projects. The previously unreported effort may eventually allow Meta to operate its rapidly expanding data center footprint with fewer humans, helping keep labor costs in check as the company's spending on AI infrastructure soars. Meta is using hardware from several vendors, including Watney Robotics, Kinova, and ABB, though Kinova and ABB decline to comment and Watney does not respond to requests.
In one experiment, Meta evaluates whether a Kinova Gen3 robotic arm can power-cycle servers by cutting off their electricity. The company also tests a separate robot to swap networking cables, and one Meta data center worker estimates that if successful, the bot could replace up to 80 percent of some people's workloads. "We thought those of us performing the physical tasks were safe for a while, but not anymore," the worker says. At some facilities, Meta quietly deploys a simpler robot shaped like a finger that presses power buttons on devices like Mac Minis when remotely prompted by a human.
Meta declines to comment on the specific testing, with spokesperson Francis Brennan stating that the company invests heavily in training and hiring workers and that America needs more skilled workers, not fewer, amid its biggest infrastructure boom since World War II. However, Eric Xu, senior manager for robotics at Meta, says at a conference last year that the company's long-term goals include putting robots in data centers, arguing they could speed up incident response, monitor the environment, and handle routine maintenance tasks.