Meta dodges billions in US taxes by calling its AI data centers experiments

Meta classifies its AI data centers as "pilot models" and Nvidia chips as experimental materials to save billions in federal taxes. In 2025 alone, that added up to $3.9 billion. The tax credit dates back to 1981, and even Meta's own accountants see the strategy as legally risky, the New York Times reports. Zuckerberg himself said in January 2025 that these data centers, now framed as experimental, would "drive our core products and business."