Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is gearing up for massive investments in artificial intelligence (AI), with capital expenditures projected to exceed $100 billion in 2025. This surge focuses on bolstering AI capabilities, expanding Amazon Web Services (AWS), and building out data centers to handle growing computational demands.
Historically, Amazon’s capex spending has followed cyclical patterns, with periods of heavy investment followed by phases of consolidation and payoff. During boom times, like the early AWS buildout, spending ramped up to fuel innovation and market dominance. Now, indicators suggest the company is entering a new cycle, potentially its largest yet, as AI becomes central to its strategy.
This could position Amazon at the forefront of the tech landscape, but it also raises questions about near-term financial health and stock performance. Will this latest aggressive spending push signal sustained growth — or invite caution amid rising costs?
This heavy spending will likely pressure Amazon’s financials in the coming quarters. Capital expenditures directly impact free cash flow (FCF), often turning it negative during peak investment phases.
Amazon’s recent financials show the e-commerce and cloud giant’s adjusted FCF declining sharply, reflecting the weight of these outlays. In the second quarter, FCF was $18.2 billion on a trailing basis. That’s a significant 66% drop from the $53 billion it reported a year ago, and it has been steadily falling all throughout the year.
At the same time, it spent over $107 billion on capex this year versus $57.2 billion last year. While Amazon stock is up 22% over the last 12 months, it’s one of the worst performances among its Magnificent 7 peers (only Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is worse with a 16% gain), which are promising to be the heaviest AI capex spenders.
Amazon is scheduled to report third-quarter results after the market closes today, and it’s probable we will see FCF turn red this quarter.
As the company allocates billions to AI infrastructure, operating margins may also contract due to higher depreciation and upfront costs without immediate revenue gains. Some analysts highlight this as a red flag, noting that elevated capex can delay profitability and spook short-term investors focused on quarterly results.
As Amazon does not pay a dividend and hasn’t bought back any stock since early 2022, this could dampen investor enthusiasm. This dynamic has played out in past cycles, where aggressive spending initially dragged on the stock price as markets digested the implications.
Despite the immediate hurdles, many view this capex wave as a foundation for future dominance. Amazon’s investments in AI and AWS aim to capture exploding demand for cloud-based AI services, potentially driving exponential revenue growth once the infrastructure matures.
Similar spending sprees in the past have preceded major expansions, such as AWS becoming a massive profit engine for the company. With AI adoption accelerating across industries, Amazon’s scale could yield high returns on these bets.
Integrations across its ecosystem, including e-commerce and logistics, provide Amazon with a competitive edge, allowing seamless AI deployment for customers. Platforms like Bedrock enable customized AI models, positioning Amazon to monetize beyond basic cloud storage. If executed well, this could lead to market share gains and valuation reratings, rewarding patient investors.
Projections for the AI cloud market paint a mixed picture for Amazon. Raymond James analysts estimate the sector reaching $350 billion by 2030, with market shares distributed unevenly: Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is expected to dominate with a 37% share, followed by Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) at 35%, Coreweave (NASDAQ:CRWD) at 11%, Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL) at 8%, and Amazon at 7%. Nebius Group (NASDAQ:NOW) will trail the pack with a 3% share.
This low ranking for Amazon, however, underestimates the company’s strengths. AWS boasts the broadest enterprise relationships and deepest integrations, which could funnel AI workloads its way. Bedrock’s flexibility in handling diverse AI tasks further bolsters this case, suggesting Amazon might outperform expectations.
It also presupposes its rivals will execute flawlessly. Oracle, though, is spending money it doesn’t have on facilities that aren’t yet built for customers who don’t currently exist. While CEO Safra Catz expects cloud revenue to hit $144 billion by 2030 — up from a $10.3 billion base in fiscal 2025 — there may be a lot of hopium baked into the projections.
Still, skeptics suggest Amazon’s competition from specialized players could erode its share, though bulls argue Amazon’s commerce backbone gives it unique advantages in AI applications.
This capex surge may weigh on Amazon’s stock in the short term by squeezing free cash flow and margins, leading to potential volatility. However, historical patterns show that increased spending has often preceded significant stock runups, as investments mature into revenue drivers.
Balancing these views, the strategy appears risky now but promising for long-haul holders betting on AI’s transformative power. Any weakness in Amazon stock as a result of its new capex cycle could be the perfect time for patient investors to buy.
