Meta Appoints Former Google, MGX Executive Gary Demasi as VP of Data Center Development
December 1, 2025
In a significant move underscoring the intensifying competition for top talent in the artificial intelligence infrastructure race, Meta Platforms Inc. has appointed industry veteran Gary Demasi as its new Vice President of Data Center Development and Strategy. This high-profile hire comes as the social media and technology giant aggressively expands its global data center footprint to support its ambitious AI roadmap, including the development of what it terms "Superintelligent AI."
Demasi joins Meta after a brief six-month tenure at MGX, the United Arab Emirates-based AI and infrastructure investment group. His appointment was announced via a LinkedIn post where he outlined the scale of the challenge ahead. "Our incredible infrastructure team is building the next generation of AI-optimized data centers to support the development of Superintelligent AI," Demasi stated. He emphasized the expansion of Meta's team across location strategy, economic development, and energy to meet this "historic challenge."
Demasi's career is anchored by a nearly 19-year tenure at Google, where he most recently served as the global director of data center energy and location strategy. In that role, he was responsible for leading billions of dollars in data center developments and was instrumental in catalyzing over 5 gigawatts of renewable energy projects. His departure from Google earlier this year coincided with that of Jeesoo Lee, the company's director of global machine learning planning, who also joined Meta.
His move to Meta from MGX is notable, given the substantial investment ambitions of the UAE group. MGX has publicly stated plans to invest $8 to $10 billion annually in AI infrastructure and related companies, with an overall war chest estimated at $100 billion. The group has also been involved in major partnerships, including a $30 billion data center and energy fund with Microsoft and BlackRock, and a joint venture in France aiming to develop a massive 1.4-gigawatt data center campus.
For Meta, securing an executive of Demasi's caliber is a strategic coup. His deep expertise in large-scale data center development, energy procurement, and high-level government relations will be critical as the company navigates complex global expansion, power constraints, and sustainability goals. The hire signals Meta's commitment to building a world-class physical infrastructure capable of supporting its next-generation AI workloads, positioning it directly against rivals like Google and Microsoft in the battle for computational supremacy.
Source: datacenterdynamics
Meta Appoints Former Google, MGX Executive Gary Demasi as VP of Data Center Development
