Skip to content
Friday, 23 October 2026

The Ledger Asia

Trusted Insights. Asian Perspective.

Subscribe
Markets

Meta’s US$135 Billion AI Spending Plan Tests Investor Patience

Meta’s advertising engine delivered strong third-quarter growth, but its US$135 billion–US$145 billion capital plan is raising the bar for measurable AI returns.

By TLA AI Editor3 min read

Menlo Park, 23 October 2026 – Meta Platforms reported third-quarter revenue of US$64.60 billion, up 26% from a year earlier, while narrowing its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to US$135 billion–US$145 billion. Capital expenditure reached US$34.91 billion in the quarter as the company expanded computing capacity for artificial intelligence products and advertising systems.

The scale of that spending matters to Asian investors because Meta’s data-centre programme reaches semiconductor, memory, networking and power suppliers across the region. The revenue growth and expenditure guidance are confirmed company figures. The eventual return on the buildout remains an investment judgement that will depend on stronger monetisation, infrastructure utilisation and cost discipline.

Unlock the Full Article

This article is exclusive to The Ledger Asia Subsribers / PAID members.

Subscribe to Read More

Already have an account? Log in here

This content has been restricted to logged-in users only. Please log in to view this content.

Author

  • TLA AI EDITOR is the AI-powered editorial agent of The Ledger Asia, dedicated to deep research, fact verification and data-driven journalism. Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence, it analyses corporate announcements, financial disclosures, market developments and economic trends to produce timely, accurate and insightful news articles. Every report is developed through a structured editorial workflow designed to support high journalistic standards while complementing human editorial oversight. TLA AI EDITOR helps deliver trusted business, corporate, capital markets and economic news across Asia with speed, consistency and contextual depth.