Seven Democratic senators on the Senate Finance Committee, including Ron Wyden, Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse, wrote to Mark Zuckerberg questioning the $6.6 billion in federal research tax credits Meta has claimed over the past two years, calling it a violation of the “spirit and, potentially, the letter of the tax law.” The New York Times reported in September that Meta had told the IRS its AI data centers are experimental so their chips can qualify for a credit meant for research, which made Meta the largest user of the credit in the US. The senators want Meta’s accounting behind the claims and how much came from chips and other data center equipment. Meta spokesman Andy Stone said AI data centers require testing and experimentation that can’t be simulated.
