“Tan Hock’s appointment aims to boost Meta’s chip and data center capabilities amid growing AI demands.”

Meta Platforms has appointed Tan Hock, the CEO of Broadcom, to its board of directors. Broadcom, a key partner for Meta, plays a crucial role in the company’s data center operations and its efforts to develop custom chips. The move signals Meta’s growing focus on AI technologies, which require fast and efficient chips to process large volumes of data.

Broadcom is instrumental in providing networking chips and design services, especially for AI workloads. In 2023, Meta spent approximately US$500 million on components and design services from Broadcom, reflecting the importance of their partnership.

As AI technology continues to advance, the demand for specialized chips has surged. While Nvidia leads in the general-purpose AI chip market, major tech players like Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are also investing heavily in custom-designed chips to complement Nvidia’s offerings.

Reuters recently reported that Nvidia, too, is focusing on attracting clients for custom chip designs.