Meta Cut Its Tax Bill by Nearly $3.9 Billion Last Year, Labelling Giant AI Data Centres 'Pilot Models'

Meta claimed nearly $3.9B in R&D tax credits in 2025, as reports said parts of its AI infrastructure were treated as experimental. (Credit: Pexels/Julio Lopez)

Meta's research tax credits reduced its tax bill by nearly $3.9B in 2025, according to reporting based on the company's securities filings, while a New York Times investigation reported that Meta treated certain AI data centre equipment as eligible for the research tax credit.

The reported tax benefit rose from about $700M in 2023 to $2B in 2024. Meta's filings do not disclose how much of the 2025 benefit, if any, was specifically associated with its AI data centre operations.