{"id":618704,"date":"2026-08-03T20:13:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T20:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/618704\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T20:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T20:13:11","slug":"big-techs-cloud-backlog-just-hit-2-3-trillion-and-its-feeding-ai-capex-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/618704\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Tech&#8217;s cloud backlog just hit $2.3 trillion \u2014 and it&#8217;s feeding AI capex plans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Investors who exited high-profile hyperscaler stocks because of surging AI capex may be overlooking an important point: Tech giants&#8217; cloud computing backlogs support their strong spending plans.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><strong>Quick analysis:<\/strong> Across the top four cloud service providers, cloud computing backlogs now exceed a whopping $2.3 trillion, which is up 16% from the first quarter, according to Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya.\u00a0  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Notably, Microsoft (<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/quote\/MSFT\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:MSFT;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;cpos:1;pos:1;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;MSFT&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MSFT<\/a>) reported commercial remaining performance obligations (its backlog) grew 8% sequentially to $678 billion in the second quarter, with only 30% recognized within the next 12 months.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Oracle (<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/quote\/ORCL\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:ORCL;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;cpos:2;pos:1;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;ORCL&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkPosition&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;yPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ORCL<\/a>) disclosed $638 billion of remaining performance obligations in its most recent quarter, with just 12% due in one year and 34% in two to three years.\u00a0  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Amazon&#8217;s (<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/quote\/AMZN\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:AMZN;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;cpos:3;pos:1;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;AMZN&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkPosition&quot;:&quot;3&quot;,&quot;yPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">AMZN<\/a>) AWS business disclosed $496 billion of backlog \u2014 up over 100% year over year \u2014 in its second quarter, while Google (<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/quote\/GOOG\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:GOOG;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;cpos:4;pos:1;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;GOOG&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkPosition&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;yPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">GOOG<\/a>) Cloud backlog grew to about $514 billion, versus about $460 billion in Q1.\u00a0  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">&#8220;Compute remains mostly supply constrained today, and we see increased hyperscale appetite to continue investing in capacity \u2014 backed by customer commitments and quickly accelerating AI sales,&#8221; Arya wrote.  <\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/6438A61657BC44AAC8D6F59C546F83B2C0486B2E0EC878A950FA110889852083\/subgraphmysterio\/resizefit_w960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fd29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net%2Fimages%2F2026-08%2F87eb7924-5781-4a44-aea4-a3a0ac36381b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" alt=\"A Microsoft employee tours the Microsoft data center campus, currently under construction, after Microsoft's Vice Chair and President Brad Smith announced a plan to spend $4 billion on an additional artificial intelligence data center, in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, U.S., September 18, 2025.  REUTERS\/Audrey Richardson\" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-j98iil loader\"\/><\/a> A Microsoft employee tours the Microsoft data center campus, currently under construction in Mount Pleasant, Wisc., on Sept. 18, 2025. REUTERS\/Audrey Richardson  \u00b7 REUTERS \/ REUTERS         <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><strong>The high-level look:<\/strong> Investor concern around how much tech is spending on AI capex is understandable. Not only are the numbers large, but they seem to be growing larger by the day, with no peak in sight.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">&#8220;Overall, we now see 2026 hyperscaler capex at over $860 billion (+80% year over year) and see a path toward about $1.2 trillion (+38% year over year) capex by 2027, with sales likely to continue improving,&#8221; Arya explained. &#8220;Declining free cash flow remains a concern, but we see negative free cash flow margin to max out around -5-6% in 2027-2028, before likely returning to healthy profitability as AI investments proliferate.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><strong>The bottom line:<\/strong> The market may not care about this point right now, as investors would like executives to rein in the spending a bit.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">But at some point soon, this point could matter, given the <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/markets\/article\/this-valuation-signal-shows-how-investors-are-rethinking-tech-stocks-144411798.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:valuation%20pullbacks;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;cpos:5;pos:1;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;outcm:mb_qualified_link;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;valuation pullbacks&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkPosition&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;yPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yContentType&quot;:&quot;story&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">valuation pullbacks<\/a> on companies clearly leading on lucrative cloud computing deals. By then, these stocks may have risen by double-digit percentages!  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/author\/brian-sozzi\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Brian%20Sozzi;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;cpos:6;pos:1;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Brian Sozzi&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkPosition&quot;:&quot;6&quot;,&quot;yPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Brian Sozzi<\/a> is Yahoo Finance&#8217;s Executive Editor, host of the &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/videos\/series\/power-players\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Power%20Players%20With%20Brian%20Sozzi&#039;;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;cpos:7;pos:1;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Power Players With Brian Sozzi&#039;&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkPosition&quot;:&quot;7&quot;,&quot;yPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Power Players With Brian Sozzi&#8217;<\/a> podcast and a member of Yahoo Finance&#8217;s editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrianSozzi\" data-ylk=\"slk:%20%40BrianSozzi;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;cpos:8;pos:1;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot; @BrianSozzi&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkPosition&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;yPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"link\"> @BrianSozzi<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/briansozzi\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:%20Instagram;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;cpos:9;pos:1;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot; Instagram&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkPosition&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;yPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"link\"> Instagram<\/a>, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/briansozzi\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:%20LinkedIn;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;cpos:10;pos:1;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot; LinkedIn&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkPosition&quot;:&quot;10&quot;,&quot;yPosition&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"link\"> LinkedIn<\/a>. 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