TikTok U.S. is seeking to secure multiple gigawatts of computing capacity, with one source telling CNBC the company aims for four gigawatts of compute power by the early 2030s. The push comes as companies globally scramble for digital infrastructure to support growing artificial intelligence workloads. TikTok USDS Joint Venture, the entity operating the social media platform in the U.S., has explored opportunities to obtain capacity over the coming years, according to two people familiar with the discussions who spoke anonymously to CNBC. The company's capacity hunt follows its 2026 establishment under U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order mandating TikTok's divestiture from Chinese parent company ByteDance, with the platform now running primarily on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure in the U.S.
A company spokesperson told CNBC that TikTok U.S. "runs primarily on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure in the U.S. and Oracle will continue to be our primary cloud infrastructure provider." Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI, typically runs in facilities that Oracle leases.
TikTok U.S. Retrains Recommendation Algorithm on U.S. User Data
In January, TikTok U.S. announced it would "retrain, test, and update" its recommendation algorithm, which is built on machine learning, on U.S. user data. The company stated the recommendation algorithm will be "secured in Oracle's U.S. cloud environment."
TikTok's product plans signal additional compute requirements going forward. The company has multiple machine learning roles posted on its website. A job advert posted by TikTok states the company is "shipping a flagship B2B AI product at the frontier of large-model inference and creative automation."
TikTok USDS Joint Venture Ownership Structure Includes Silver Lake, Oracle, MGX
TikTok USDS Joint Venture was established in 2026 in compliance with U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order mandating the divestiture of TikTok in the U.S. from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
TikTok U.S. has three managing investors—Silver Lake, Oracle, and MGX—each holding 15%. The Dell Family Office, the investment firm of Michael Dell, is also an investor. ByteDance retained 19.9% of the new entity.
FAQ
How much computing capacity is TikTok U.S. seeking?
TikTok U.S. is looking to secure multiple gigawatts of computing capacity, with one source telling CNBC the company aims for four gigawatts of compute power by the early 2030s.
Why does TikTok U.S. need additional computing capacity?
The company requires extra compute to support growing artificial intelligence workloads, including retraining its recommendation algorithm on U.S. user data and shipping a flagship B2B AI product at the frontier of large-model inference and creative automation.
Who are the investors in TikTok USDS Joint Venture?
TikTok U.S. has three managing investors—Silver Lake, Oracle, and MGX—each holding 15%. The Dell Family Office is also an investor, while ByteDance retained 19.9% of the new entity established in 2026.
