Meta Trials Robots to Automate Data‑Center Maintenance

Meta is testing robots that can plug in cables, reset servers, and perform other maintenance tasks inside its data centers. The company is using hardware from Watney Robotics, Kinova, and ABB. In one experiment, a Kinova Gen3 robotic arm is being evaluated for power‑cycling or cutting off electricity to servers, while another robot is being tested to swap networking cables. Workers say the robots could replace up to 80 % of some staff’s workloads. A data‑center employee noted that the shift “is coming for us all, unfortunately.” The initiative could reduce Meta’s labor costs as its AI‑infrastructure spending soars.