Meta in the Spotlight as Company Breaks Ground on Its First Canadian Data Center, Launches Muse Image

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) shares are trending Thursday as the company made headlines on two fronts — breaking ground on its first Canadian data center and launching Muse Image, its first image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs.

• Meta Platforms stock is trading near recent lows. What should traders watch with META?

Breaking Ground in Canada

Meta announced it is breaking ground on a new 1 gigawatt, AI-optimized data center in Sturgeon County, Alberta — its first data center in Canada and 33rd in its global fleet. The project represents an investment of more than CAD $13 billion and is expected to support approximately 3,000 construction workers at peak and more than 300 operational jobs. Meta is also investing approximately CAD $60 million in local infrastructure improvements including roads and water infrastructure, alongside grants for local nonprofits.

The Sturgeon County data center will be powered by 100% clean and renewable energy, with Meta fully funding new generation and grid infrastructure to support its energy needs. The facility will use a water-efficient closed-loop, liquid-cooled system with dry cooling, meaning no operational water use in the cooling system.

Muse Image

Separately, Meta launched Muse Image — the company’s first image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs — now available in Meta AI. The model allows users to generate high-quality visuals from simple conversational prompts, blend multiple photos, erase unwanted elements, render text cleanly inside images, and edit directly on photos. Muse Image also powers new creative tools across Meta’s apps, including more than 30 new AI-powered effects for Instagram Stories and image generation within WhatsApp chats with Meta AI.

The model pairs with Muse Spark to plan layouts, look up real-time web context, and intelligently blend multiple visual references. Users can also tag Instagram accounts to incorporate public photos into their creations. Muse Image is free for everyday use and is also available as part of Meta’s subscription plans. Muse Video is already in development.

Meta Shares Drop

META Price Action: At the time of publication, Meta shares are trading 3.55% lower at $581.70, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

Image via Shutterstock