Big Tech has now committed more than $3 trillion to the AI build-out

Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Oracle have committed more than $3T to future spending on data centres, leases, equipment and energy, Bloomberg reports. Alphabet leads with more than $1T, followed by Meta with over $800B. Some of the leases run for 30 years.

Five tech giants have lined up more than $3T in future spending on AI data centres, Bloomberg reported. Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Oracle have all signed up for leases, buildings, energy and equipment.

That is up from about $2.4T for four of them in a similar tally in July, though Oracle was not counted then. The total mixes short-term orders with leases that run for decades.

Alphabet has the most, with more than $1T lined up, nearly eight times its level a year ago. Meta has more than $800B, a bit under half of it for data centre leases that have not started yet.

“ We expect to continue investing aggressively to support both our core business and emerging AI initiatives, ” Meta chief financial officer Susan Li told analysts last week.

Future leases make up $1.3T of the total, and other orders $1.9T. Each company reports these figures differently. Some of the money, such as Meta’s hardware and content deals at Alphabet and Amazon, is not for data centres.

The spending has pushed Alphabet and Meta, two of the most profitable firms in history, into negative free cash flow. Oracle, the first to go negative, said this week it expects to turn positive again in 2028. Gartner has warned that much of this spending may never pay off.

I am the Editor in Chief for TNW, covering technology not as a parade of launches and valuations, but as a system of influence, persuasion, (show all) I am the Editor in Chief for TNW, covering technology not as a parade of launches and valuations, but as a system of influence, persuasion, and change. I write about startups, venture capital, digital policy, and Europe ecosystem, with an eye on the larger story beneath them: who gets to build the future, who profits from it, and how Europe is learning to speak in a louder voice of its own. Before moving into senior editorial leadership, I've built my career for over +10 years across journalism, storytelling, content strategy, SEO, and digital publishing, with experience in SaaS, hospitality, art, and culture.

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.

Thanks! Check your inbox to confirm your subscription.

By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Statement.