Meta has adjusted its capital expenditure outlook for the year as the technology giant funnels billions of dollars into artificial intelligence infrastructure and development. The company reported capital expenditures of $34.91 billion during the third quarter of 2026, marking an increase from the $31.08 billion spent during the previous quarter.
Looking across the full year, Meta stated that it now expects total capital expenditures to land between $135 billion and $145 billion. This range narrows the prediction issued in the prior quarter, which spanned from $130 billion to $145 billion. The revised full-year forecast aligns closely with Wall Street expectations, which centered on approximately $139.79 billion.
The substantial financial outlays reflect the company’s aggressive pivot toward artificial intelligence, which has involved constructing massive, high-cost data centers and acquiring immense computing power. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg noted during a podcast appearance earlier in the month that he had been willing to wager up to $200 billion on artificial intelligence before the underlying models were fully proven.
Such massive spending forecasts have previously unsettled investors. Meta shares tumbled nearly 10 percent in the prior quarter after earnings per share missed Wall Street estimates, and dropped 6 percent the quarter before that following raised capital expenditure guidance.
Sentiment shifted this quarter following the traction of Muse, an artificial intelligence assistant that has emerged as a major product for the company. The application has surpassed 2 million daily users and recorded 3 million downloads, quickly climbing the ranks of the App Store. Users have reported utilizing the assistant for tasks ranging from travel planning to academic preparation.
Alexandr Wang, Meta’s chief AI officer, has highlighted the momentum surrounding the product by sharing promotional imagery of Muse’s mascot on social platforms. During the company’s Connect keynote event in September, Zuckerberg described the assistant as featuring a novel business model designed to generate revenue through transaction fees over time while keeping the service free for a large volume of tokens.
The growth of the assistant and the narrowed spending forecast appeared to reassure financial markets. Meta shares were trading up 4.12 percent in after-hours trading following the earnings announcement.
