Alphabet's cash burn raises alarm for Big Tech as AI spending climbs

July 23 : Alphabet's first cash burn on record has jolted investors awaiting more Big Tech results next week as soaring AI spending strains one of the world's most profitable companies, and the pain is only expected to increase.The Google parent burned $5.9 billion in the second quarter, even as the cloud unit that rents out AI computing power notched a record 82 per cent growth. With Alphabet now expected to spend $15 billion more in 2026 and predicting another increase next year, the outlays behind the cash burn will only rise.The cash hit is one of the clearest signs of how AI is reshaping Big Tech. Once prized for fat margins and cash gushers that could easily fund new bets, the group is now leaning on debt and share sales to bankroll spending, which is set to top $700 billion this yea