Cloud capex forecast calls for 29% jump in 2027 as compute demand exceeds capacity

Analyst Impact 4
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Summary · why it matters

Capital expenditures by the world's largest hyperscalers are expected to increase 29% year over year in 2027, according to Morgan Stanley's Global Cloud Capex Tracker. The consensus estimate for cloud capex in 2027 stands at $1.2 trillion, but Morgan Stanley says that figure might be too low and could reach $1.4 trillion. Three of the four largest US hyperscalers have increased their capex during calendar year 2026: Amazon raised its capex to $220 billion from $200 billion, Google raised its guide to a range of $195 billion to $205 billion from $180 billion to $190 billion, and Meta narrowed its range to $130 billion to $145 billion from $125 billion to $145 billion, while Microsoft's spending remains unchanged at $190 billion. All four companies highlighted ongoing capacity constraints, with demand continuing to exceed internal supply. Revenue growth is surging, with Microsoft's Azure revenue accelerating 43% year over year, Google Cloud revenue rocketing 82%, and Amazon Web Services revenue leaping 37%, its largest growth rate in 18 quarters.

Impact on stocks 4

Artificial Intelligence · 4 stocks
Amazon.com Inc
AMZN
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

AWS revenue growth accelerating 37% and capacity constraints indicate strong demand for its cloud services.

Alphabet Inc Class C
GOOG
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Google Cloud revenue rocketing 82% and capacity constraints indicate strong demand for its cloud services.

Microsoft Corporation
MSFT
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Azure revenue accelerating 43% and capacity constraints indicate strong demand for its cloud services.

Meta Platforms Inc.
META
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Meta's capex increase and capacity constraints suggest strong demand for its cloud infrastructure.

Theme Impact 10

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