Meta raises lower end of AI spending to $135 billion
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram expects to spend up to $145 billion on capital this year, partly on artificial intelligence.
Follow-up to: Meta posts strong growth on advertising and AI Thursday, 22 October 2026, 00:57
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Meta is raising the lower end of its expected capital expenditure for 2026 to $135 billion. The company links the higher spending to the continued expansion of artificial intelligence, while also preparing a new share class to enable future financing.
Meta announced the revised forecast when publishing its third-quarter results. The company expects capital expenditure of between $135 billion and $145 billion this year, compared with a previous range of $130 billion to $145 billion. The spending covers data centres, computer chips and other infrastructure, among other things.
The company says AI investments are already contributing to its core activities. According to Meta, better recommendations, greater user interaction and more efficient advertising sales are generating additional advertising revenue. That is the company’s own explanation; the precise contribution of AI to revenue is not broken out separately in the publication.
Meta also expects the loss at Reality Labs, the division for virtual- and augmented-reality products and wearables, to fall to approximately $15 billion next year. The company says it is shifting investment towards other priorities, particularly AI. That outlook is an expectation, not a realised result.
The board of directors has also approved a new non-voting share class. It is due to become available from January 2027. Meta says the shares can be used to raise capital, reward staff, fund possible acquisitions and serve other corporate purposes. According to news agency AP, the structure is partly intended to finance major AI investments without reducing chief executive Mark Zuckerberg’s voting power.
The figures therefore show two sides of Meta’s AI strategy. Thanks to its advertising activities, Meta has the resources to invest heavily, but it is also taking on high fixed costs and execution risks. The company says the returns from new AI products may take longer to arrive than returns from its existing core activities. It also remains exposed to legal and regulatory risks, including those involving young people, privacy and online platforms.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Meta has raised the lower end of its expected capital expenditure for 2026 from $130 billion to $135 billion.
- According to Meta, the spending is partly directed towards AI infrastructure.
- Meta has approved a new non-voting share class for January 2027.
- The company expects Reality Labs to make a loss of approximately $15 billion next year.
- Meta cites legal and regulatory risks involving, among other things, young people and privacy.
Left
Arguments A left-wing approach emphasises that such enormous AI investments could increase the power of an already dominant platform, while the social costs involving privacy, the labour market and young people do not fall entirely on the company. Stricter regulation, oversight and public accountability are therefore seen as appropriate.
Values Equal power relations, protection of citizens and public oversight of technology companies.
Consequences Supporters expect greater protection for users and workers, but acknowledge that stricter rules could slow investment or move it to other countries.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach sees AI investment as economically significant, but wants the promised benefits tested against transparent financial reporting, competition rules and existing privacy law. The new share class primarily calls for clarity about control and risks for shareholders.
Values Innovation with oversight, predictable rules and protection of competitive markets.
Consequences This could leave room for investment as long as Meta demonstrably complies with the rules, but could lead to additional reporting and oversight costs.
Right
Arguments A right-wing approach emphasises that private companies bear the risks of investment themselves and that American technology companies must be able to compete internationally. From this perspective, excessive regulation could weaken innovation and the strategic position of Western companies.
Values Entrepreneurship, competitiveness, property rights and limited government intervention.
Consequences Greater freedom could promote rapid growth and technological advantage, but would also increase the chance that market power and risks are curbed only at a late stage.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The financial ranges, the new share class and the outlook for Reality Labs have been confirmed by primary and independent sources. Expectations about future returns are clearly attributed to Meta.
- confirmed Meta expects capital expenditure of between $135 billion and $145 billion in 2026. — Meta cites this range in its third-quarter publication. source
- confirmed The previous range was $130 billion to $145 billion. — Meta gives the previous forecast alongside the revised forecast. source
- confirmed Meta expects the loss at Reality Labs to fall to approximately $15 billion next year. — This expectation appears in Meta’s financial commentary and is described by AP. source
- confirmed Meta has approved a new non-voting share class with effect from January 2027. — The board of directors and the effective date are stated in the company publication. source
- confirmed The share class can be used to raise capital for AI investments without reducing Zuckerberg’s voting power. — AP describes this purpose and its relationship to Zuckerberg’s control. source
- confirmed Meta says AI is already generating additional advertising revenue. — This is presented as Meta’s own statement, not as an independently established causal fact. source
Editor's note
The increased spending forecast, the new share class and the outlook for Reality Labs have been confirmed by Meta and independently described by AP. Expected returns from AI are company forecasts and have been presented as such.Sources
- Meta Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results — Meta via PR Newswire
- Meta Q3 revenue tops estimates and Zuckerberg says Muse accounts have topped 10 million — Associated Press
The story so far
- Thursday, 22 October 2026, 00:57 Meta posts strong growth on advertising and AI
- Thursday, 22 October 2026, 07:57 Meta raises lower end of AI spending to $135 billion (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „meta kunstmatige intelligentie”
- de Volkskrant — „meta kunstmatige intelligentie”
- NU.nl — „meta kunstmatige intelligentie”