Meta and CBRE Partner to Scale AI Infrastructure via "LevelUp" Training

Meta partners with CBRE on the LevelUp program to train thousands of fiber technicians, addressing the workforce shortage in the AI data center boom.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 22, 2026, 4:08 AM EDT

Source: Bisnow

The LevelUp Program: Addressing the Skilled Trades Gap

The LevelUp initiative will see CBRE establishing and overseeing training sites across the United States starting in the summer of 2026. The curriculum focuses on high-density fiber optics and specialized data center systems, providing graduates with certifications that are applicable not only to Meta projects but across the broader skilled trades sector. Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick emphasized that the future of the AI revolution depends on a "highly skilled U.S. workforce" capable of rising to these ambitious infrastructure challenges.

Meta’s Massive Infrastructure Spending in 2026

The partnership comes as Meta significantly ramps up its capital expenditures. Following a $72.2 billion investment in 2025, Meta projected in its Q4 earnings report that infrastructure spending for 2026 will reach between $115 billion and $135 billion. This capital is primarily directed toward the nearly 30 data centers Meta currently has in operation or under construction. A cornerstone of this expansion is a planned $10 billion megacampus in Lebanon, Indiana, which will span 4 million square feet and support a massive 1-gigawatt capacity.

Competitive Landscape: Musk, Prologis, and the AI Boom

Meta is not the only tech giant racing to build the physical backbone of AI. The LevelUp announcement follows several other significant industry moves in early 2026: