Big Tech’s big AI buildout will not end until someone stops it

The Verge · Ellen Thomas · 2026-11-05 10:45 UTC

Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta are on the hook with their data center plans.

After four of the biggest competitors in the AI race held quarterly earnings calls late last month, two things are clear: Big Tech is not done spending record amounts on the AI data center buildout, and the AI data center buildout is not any closer to yielding its promised returns.

A third thing is also starting to become clear — Big Tech will not be slowing down, at least not on its own.

Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta told investors they’re planning to spend at least $720 billion on CapEx this year alone. Most of that will go toward AI infrastructure. That’s on top of at least $1 trillion in spending commitments that have been arranged for the coming years.

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