Alphabet earnings: AI-driven cloud boom pushes revenue past USD 100 billion

Key points:

• Alphabet posted record quarterly revenue of USD 102.3 billion, up 16% year on year and above expectations.
• Cloud and YouTube delivered standout growth, while AI investment continues to reshape the company’s spending and strategy.
• Capital expenditures surged toward a record USD 91–93 billion, underscoring Alphabet’s aggressive push to lead in AI infrastructure.

A landmark quarter for the AI era

Alphabet’s third-quarter results showed that artificial intelligence is no longer just a technology story but the foundation of its business. The company’s revenue crossed the USD 100 billion mark for the first time, rising 16% from a year earlier to USD 102.3 billion, comfortably above Wall Street’s estimate of USD 99.9 billion. Earnings per share came in at USD 2.87, beating expectations by more than 25%.

Shares climbed around 5% in after-hours trading as investors cheered the company’s broad-based strength across advertising, cloud, and subscriptions. The report marked another clear signal that Alphabet is emerging as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI investment cycle driving global markets.

The numbers behind the story

• Revenue: USD 102.3 billion vs. USD 99.9 billion expected (+16% year on year)
• Net income: USD 35 billion (+33% year on year)
• Earnings per share: USD 2.87 vs. USD 2.26 expected
• Operating margin: 31% (nearly 34% excluding the EC fine)
• Google Cloud: USD 15.2 billion (+34%)
• YouTube ads: USD 10.3 billion (+15%)
• Google Search: USD 56.6 billion (+15%)
• CapEx guidance: USD 91–93 billion for 2025 (previously around USD 85 billion)

Alphabet ended the quarter with USD 98.5 billion in cash and securities and declared a quarterly dividend of USD 0.21 per share.

What drove the results

Alphabet’s core advertising engine remains formidable. Google Search and YouTube together generated more than USD 66 billion in quarterly ad revenue, both up double digits from last year. Stronger ad targeting and the introduction of AI-driven tools appear to be enhancing engagement and pricing power across the platform.

YouTube was particularly strong, with 15% growth helped by premium video ads and growing revenue from its subscription products. CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted that the platform continues to attract advertisers looking for global reach and measurable impact, while paid services such as YouTube Premium and Music are providing steady recurring income.

The standout performer, however, was Google Cloud. The division delivered 34% growth and ended the quarter with a backlog of USD 155 billion. Enterprise demand for AI infrastructure, analytics and Vertex AI tools remains robust, positioning Google closer to rivals Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Cloud has now become the engine room of Alphabet’s AI ambitions, uniting its technology and commercial potential in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.

Capex surge: investing in the next frontier

Perhaps the most telling figure this quarter wasn’t in the income statement but in capital spending. Alphabet now expects between USD 91 billion and USD 93 billion in CapEx this year, far above last year’s USD 53 billion and higher than its previous forecast. The company is building vast new data centres, advanced networking systems, and custom AI chips to support both internal operations and external clients.

Pichai said Alphabet is investing to meet surging demand and to position the company for long-term growth across its businesses. The strategy reflects a broader shift in the digital economy where computing power has become the new currency. Gemini, Alphabet’s flagship AI model, now processes 7 billion tokens per minute and is integrated across Search, YouTube and Android, redefining how users interact with Google products.

AI as the unifying force

Gemini sits at the heart of Google’s transformation. It powers the new AI Overviews in search, optimises ad performance, and drives automation tools for enterprise customers through Google Cloud. The Gemini app now has more than 650 million monthly active users.

This full-stack approach — spanning chips, infrastructure, and software — gives Alphabet a defensible advantage in a highly competitive field. The company is evolving from being an advertising giant that uses AI to an AI company that monetises its technology through advertising, cloud services, and consumer platforms. This shift is central to its future growth story.

Competitive and regulatory crosswinds

Alphabet’s strong results come amid rising competition and continued regulatory scrutiny. OpenAI and Microsoft are challenging Google’s dominance in search with AI-based tools like ChatGPT Atlas, while regulators in the United States and Europe continue to probe its dominance in advertising and search.

A recent court ruling, however, was seen as a partial win for Alphabet after a judge rejected calls to force the sale of Chrome, easing immediate legal risks. Still, the company faces ongoing cases in the U.S. over its ad-tech business that could reshape how digital ads are sold in the coming years.

The main challenge now is strategic: maintaining leadership in AI while defending its most profitable businesses from disruption by generative search and new digital ecosystems.

Market reaction and investor sentiment

Investors rewarded the strong execution. Alphabet’s shares rose about 5–7% in after-hours trading and are now up more than 40% year to date. The market viewed the report as evidence that the massive wave of AI investment is translating into tangible revenue growth. Margins held steady despite record spending, which reassured investors who had been wary of escalating infrastructure costs earlier in the year.

The results also reinforce Alphabet’s position as one of the few global companies capable of turning AI scale into profit. The balance between rapid innovation and financial discipline will remain the key theme heading into 2026.

What investors should watch next

1. Cloud margins: Growth is strong, but profitability will be tested as price competition intensifies.
2. Ad performance: The rollout of AI Overviews could change user behaviour, and monetisation trends will be closely watched.
3. CapEx returns: Heavy investment in AI infrastructure must start showing scalable returns to justify the spend.
4. Regulatory decisions: The outcomes of ongoing U.S. ad-tech and search cases could reshape Alphabet’s operating model.
5. Gemini adoption: Commercial traction and new revenue streams from AI services will be key to sustaining long-term growth.

From search to supercomputing: a new chapter for Alphabet

Alphabet’s third-quarter results highlight how deeply AI has become embedded in its business model. The company’s unique combination of global reach, cloud scale and chip design gives it a commanding position in the race to industrialise AI.

Yet the transformation also comes with trade-offs. Higher capital intensity, tougher competition, and increasing regulatory scrutiny. For investors, the opportunity lies in Alphabet’s ability to balance these forces and convert technological leadership into durable earnings growth.

This was more than just another strong quarter. Alphabet has crossed an important milestone with its first USD 100 billion quarter and a clear demonstration that it is no longer just an advertising company but an AI-first enterprise shaping the future of digital infrastructure.

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