Meta narrows capex forecast as it leans into the AI agent wars
Meta has narrowed its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to $135-145 billion as it continues to invest heavily in AI infrastructure. The company is seeing early success with its new AI assistant, Muse, which has reached 3 million downloads.
Why it matters
Meta's massive spending on AI infrastructure signals a long-term industry shift toward AI-integrated products, despite investor concerns over short-term profitability.
Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, has spent big on infrastructure for its AI development. Bloomberg/Getty Images Meta spent $34.91 billion in capital expenditures in its third quarter. The company is spending big on data centers and other infrastructure for its AI development. Meta predicted $135-145 billion in capex for 2026, aligning with analyst expectations. Meta is making it rain for AI. The company spent $34.91 billion in capital expenditures during the third quarter of 2026. That's up from the second quarter's sum, $31.08 billion. For the year 2026, Meta said it expects to spend between $135-145 billion in capital expenditures, narrowed from its prediction of $130-145 billion last quarter. Meta's forecast includes the yearly capex prediction that analysts expected: $139.79 billion. As Meta bets big on AI, it is investing heavily in its development. It has built massive, costly data centers and spent big on computing power.
Headlinne story · 6 newsrooms
Meta Approves Stock Plan to Keep Mark Zuckerberg in California
What every outlet reported, where they differ, and how each framed it →
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in