Stock Markets February 23, 2026

Wells Fargo Sees Hyperscaler Compute Capacity Doubling by 2027 Amid AI-Driven Demand

Brokerage projects 98GW of hyperscaler compute by 2027, large cloud providers to retain dominant share as capex surges

By Leila Farooq GOOGL AMZN MSFT META ORCL
Wells Fargo Sees Hyperscaler Compute Capacity Doubling by 2027 Amid AI-Driven Demand
GOOGL AMZN MSFT META ORCL

Wells Fargo projects hyperscaler compute capacity will expand from about 49GW at the end of 2025 to 98GW by 2027, driven by AI demand that continues to outpace available capacity. Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft account for roughly 80% of current capacity and are expected to remain the largest operators. The firm also forecasts substantial increases in industry capital expenditures, and has adjusted revenue forecasts for major cloud platforms upward for 2026 and 2027.

Key Points

  • Wells Fargo projects hyperscaler compute capacity will reach 98GW by 2027, up from an estimated 49GW at the end of 2025.
  • Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft accounted for about 39GW (80%) of capacity at end-2025 and are expected to hold roughly 75% share through 2027.
  • Hyperscaler capex is forecast to almost double to over $860 billion by 2027, with total spending of $2.47 trillion from 2026-2028, influencing cloud, data center and semiconductor sectors.

Wells Fargo forecasts a rapid expansion in hyperscaler compute capacity as generative AI workloads continue to push demand well ahead of supply. The brokerage said capacity will double to 98 gigawatts (GW) by 2027, up from an estimated 49GW at the end of 2025.

The firm estimates Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft together represented roughly 39GW of the 49GW total at the end of 2025 - about 80% of industry capacity. Wells Fargo expects those three companies to retain roughly a 75% share of hyperscaler compute through 2027.

Projected additions to industry capacity are concentrated in the next several years. Wells Fargo sees capacity growth of 22GW in 2026 and 27GW in 2027 - a combined 49GW over those two years, exceeding the 20GW added across 2024 and 2025. Looking further ahead, the firm expects total hyperscaler compute capacity to top 125GW by 2028.

The brokerage provided company-level capacity forecasts through 2028. It expects Alphabet to add 19GW and remain the leader with 35GW by year-end 2028. Amazon is projected to add 16GW to reach 29GW, while Microsoft is also seen adding 16GW to reach 27GW. Meta Platforms is forecast to expand to 21GW by 2028, and Oracle to scale to 11GW.

Wells Fargo characterized compute capacity as becoming the principal constraint in cloud operating models, with shortages felt across chips, power and data center infrastructure. The firm estimated hyperscaler capital expenditures will nearly double to more than $860 billion by 2027, up from $427 billion in 2025.

Over the three-year window from 2026 through 2028, Wells Fargo projects total hyperscaler spending of $2.47 trillion, which it said is about 8% above consensus expectations.

In response to its capacity and spending outlook, the brokerage raised its revenue estimates for Microsoft Azure and said its forecasts for Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform sit above Street expectations for 2026 and 2027.

Wells Fargo highlighted the centrality of compute access to competitive positioning in AI. As the firm put it: "Compute capacity is key success factor as AI-driven demand to materially exceed supply near to medium term. Cloud industry to grow meaningfully faster than consensus view," analyst said.

The report underscores a period of intense capital investment across hyperscalers as they seek to close the gap between compute demand and available infrastructure. The brokerage's projections suggest material shifts in data center buildouts, power provisioning and chip procurement over the coming years as operators scale to meet AI workloads.

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Risks

  • Compute capacity constraints - shortages across chips, power and data center infrastructure could limit the ability of cloud providers to meet rapid AI-driven demand, impacting cloud services and enterprise customers.
  • Capital intensity - a near-doubling of hyperscaler capex to more than $860 billion by 2027 raises execution and return risks for cloud providers and the suppliers in the data center and semiconductor supply chains.
  • Forecast uncertainty - Wells Fargo's projections, including company-level capacity and revenue upgrades for Azure, AWS and Google Cloud Platform for 2026-2027, deviate from consensus and could change if demand or supply conditions evolve.

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