SAN FRANCISCO — Technology firms opened August with fresh signals of accelerating artificial intelligence spending on Monday, as Palantir prepared quarterly results and Meta expanded hiring at its Indiana data center campus.

Meta has been staffing its data center operations in Indianapolis, converting roles once held by custodians and support staff into higher-skilled positions. The shift reflects the labour demands created by the vast computing facilities powering generative AI models.

Palantir, which reports after the market close, was expected by analysts to post strong revenue growth driven by government and commercial AI contracts. The company has positioned its Artificial Intelligence Platform as central to enterprise adoption, and investors were watching for updated full-year guidance.

The developments came as Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta pursued record capital spending on data centers and chips, a trend that has strained local power and water resources in several US states. County officials in regions hosting new facilities have begun weighing pauses and stricter reviews.

Executives have argued the investment is necessary to meet surging demand for AI services, while critics have questioned the returns. Analysts at Wedbush and Morgan Stanley have said the coming earnings season would test whether AI spending is translating into durable revenue.