Big tech's AI spending could hit $600 billion in 2026
Big tech is gearing up to drop about $600 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026, according to Reuters—a huge leap from prior-year spending levels.
This massive investment wave has some investors feeling uneasy about whether all this spending will actually pay off.
Amazon and Google lead the charge
Amazon plans to spend $200 billion in 2026.
Alphabet increased its spending plans in 2026, and Meta has increased spending plans in 2026 for its AI ambitions.
It's a serious race to build the future of tech.
Stocks react to the news
Microsoft is increasing spending in 2026. But not everyone's cheering: Amazon and Alphabet stocks dropped after the news, while chipmakers like NVIDIA saw big gains thanks to soaring demand for their hardware.
Meanwhile, software companies are taking a hit—the S&P 500 software index has fallen almost 8% this week as experts warn that pouring so much into AI could put other parts of tech at risk.