Meta plans to begin manufacturing its own artificial intelligence chip in September, according to an internal memo analyzed by Reuters. This component, named 'Iris,' is part of a four-generation project called MTIA (Meta Training and Inference Accelerators) and was developed internally with the goal of reducing dependence on suppliers such as Nvidia and AMD.
According to the memo, testing on the chip was completed in a remarkably short period of only six weeks, without any serious issues being identified. This timeline is considerably faster than the standard for such developments, indicating significant progress for a project that, according to the document itself, faced challenges from its inception over five years ago.
For the chip's design, Meta is collaborating with Broadcom, while manufacturing will be carried out in partnership with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), following a cooperation model already used by other major technology corporations that produce their own semiconductors.
The document indicates that Meta plans to install seven gigawatts of computing infrastructure in 2026, intending to double this capacity in 2027, reaching 14 gigawatts. To support this expansion, the company has signed long-term supply contracts with Samsung Electronics for memory chips, with Sandisk for flash storage, and with Sumitomo Electric for fiber optic equipment.
The total projected investment in AI infrastructure this year could reach US$145 billion. This amount represents a considerable share of the more than US$700 billion that large technology companies are allocating to the sector, according to Reuters.
Iris was conceived to complement the vast quantity of GPUs acquired by Meta from Nvidia and AMD. The memo explains that using the latest GPUs in a company the size of Meta 'has been a heavy task and cost us time.'
Adopting custom chips allows companies to reduce operational costs and gain greater autonomy from external suppliers, a tactic already implemented by giants like Google, Amazon, and Apple. Meta presented Iris under its technical nomenclature in March, along with three other AI processors. The company plans to introduce a new chip every semester until 2027, a pace faster than the one-year or longer interval usually seen in the industry.
This move occurs amid growing pressure on components. Morgan Stanley analysts warn that the increase in prices for memory and AI chips is already substantial, potentially leading the term 'chipflation' to become a macroeconomic concern.
Meta has announced the creation of its own in-house developed line of AI glasses. This move signals a deepening involvement in wearable technology, which has become a new frontier in the artificial intelligence race. The most noticeable change for consumers is the reduction in price.
The new Meta glasses will cost starting from $299, which is cheaper than the latest Ray-Ban models starting at $379. This could help spread the product to a larger number of people, which is critically important for Meta, as the company must prove that its large investments in AI will lead to successful products.
Andrew Bosworth, Meta's CTO, stated during a press event on Monday that 'it is truly important to be able to be present in many market segments, so reach depends not only on design and style but also on pricing policy.'
These Meta-developed glasses mark a departure from co-branded glasses that the social network previously released with Ray-Ban and Oakley from EssilorLuxottica. However, Meta maintains a partnership with EssilorLuxottica regarding certain aspects of the new glasses, such as lenses, and continues to sell Ray-Ban and Oakley models.
Bosworth added that customers are willing to pay more for the styles of Ray-Ban due to their popularity, and the new frames designed by the company aim to offer consumers more options. The new glasses are available in three variants: a small model called Adventurer, a larger and slightly rounded model Fury, and an oval model created by Kylie Jenner, named Meta Glasses by Kylie.
Like the Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses from Meta, the new glasses can play music, perform language translation, and answer questions about the user's immediate surroundings by capturing images with cameras. The company claims that its new Muse Spark AI model improves the glasses' ability to extract details from photos and remember personal preferences.
The Muse Spark model will launch with the new glasses, while previous models will receive this new feature through a software update. During the pre-launch press event, when CNN tested the glasses, they were able to estimate the calorie count in a bowl of strawberries, translate a sign from Arabic to English, and recommend nearby museums. The glasses were also able to determine that the container of fake cherries used in the demonstration was not real.
Nevertheless, these scenarios are similar to what existing Meta glasses can do and are unlikely to convince skeptics or uninterested users about smart glasses. Jenner's model is the most distinctive: it features a special sound cue that plays when the glasses are put on, and the standard Meta AI voice can be replaced with an AI-generated version of Jenner's voice based on her actual voice.
According to analyst Runar Bjørhovd, who covers mobile devices for research firm Omdia, tech companies are still trying to convince consumers that smart glasses and other new types of wearables, such as recording and transcribing pins, are more useful than smartphones. This may make it difficult for some consumers to justify the cost.
He noted to CNN earlier this month: 'The question is whether these wearables can do something completely unique or something completely different using the camera (and) creating context in the world. And the question is what you are actually doing with it?'
However, according to research firm The International Data Corporation, the prices of smart glasses are expected to decrease over the next four years, potentially increasing their popularity. The average selling price of smart glasses is expected to drop from $376 in 2026 to $229 by 2030.
Price is not the only factor causing concern about smart glasses; the company has faced constant privacy issues. Earlier this year, CNN reported that some men were filming videos flirting with women using smart glasses and uploading these clips to social media without the women's consent.
All Meta glasses are equipped with an LED indicator showing when recording is taking place. Furthermore, Meta's website states that the camera will not operate if the LED indicator is not lit. Bosworth stated at the press event on Monday: 'It is a cat-and-mouse game with bad actors. We are trying our best across generations to keep improving, ensuring that the light is an indicator that outsiders can rely on to understand what is happening on the glasses.'
Smart glasses, especially from Meta, are gaining popularity: IDC reports that smart glass shipments grew by 167 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. The firm also found that Meta dominates the market with a 69.2 percent share.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated on the earnings conference call in April that the number of people daily using his glasses has tripled compared to last year. However, Meta will soon face increased competition. Google and Samsung are collaborating on a new pair of AI glasses set to be released later this year with similar functionality. OpenAI is also developing a hardware product.
According to Pew Research, ChatGPT and Gemini are already significantly more popular than Meta AI assistant: 44 percent of American adults use ChatGPT, 24 percent use Gemini, and 14 percent use Meta AI. IDC analysts wrote in a report on June 15th: 'Google enters the smart glasses race with an advantage that no rival can create overnight: an ecosystem already embedded in billions of lives. Gemini is already present in people's email, photos, search history, and calendars.'
Previous attempts by Meta in hardware, such as co-branded smartphones, smart home devices, and virtual reality headsets, have failed to gain consumer trust. Now the company hopes to make smart glasses as ubiquitous as smartphones, smartwatches, and other gadgets. Success in this area could give a serious boost to the Meta AI assistant in the fight against ChatGPT and Gemini, as users primarily interact with the glasses by talking to the digital assistant. Perhaps glasses are just the beginning. Bosworth noted that the 'design team is absolutely fascinated by this issue' regarding the development of AI products for people who do not wear glasses, and asked, 'What other ways can we provide this opportunity to people who do not want to wear glasses?'
