Summary of J.P. Morgan's Cloud Capex Outlook Industry Overview - The report focuses on the **Cloud and Datacenter Capital Expenditures (Capex)** within the **U.S. Cloud Service Providers (CSPs)** industry, particularly the **Top 4 U.S. CSPs** which include Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft [1][3][8]. Key Points Capex Growth Projections - **2025 Capex Growth**: The growth expectation for datacenter capex in 2025 has been revised upwards to nearly **+60% year-over-year (y/y)**, up from a previous forecast of **+40%**. This translates to an increase of over **$100 billion** in absolute dollar terms, marking the largest annual increase to date, surpassing the previous record set in 2024 [1][3][8][21]. - **2026 Capex Growth**: For 2026, the growth rate is now anticipated to be **+30% y/y**, which represents an increase of more than **$80 billion**. This is also an upward revision from the earlier forecast of **+20%** [1][3][21]. Investment Drivers - The primary driver of this growth is the **accelerated investment in AI and related infrastructure**. All major U.S. hyperscalers are expected to show robust double-digit growth in their capex [1][3][8]. - **Tier 2 CSPs and Neoclouds**: Investments from Tier 2 CSPs and emerging neoclouds are projected to grow significantly, with an expected capex of nearly **$60 billion** in 2025, which is more than double the average spend from the Top 4 CSPs prior to 2023 [1][3][35]. Equipment Categories - **Server Investments**: High-cost servers with advanced processing units (XPUs) will continue to dominate the capex expansion in 2025 and 2026. However, there is a notable increase in spending on networking equipment, including datacenter switches and optical transceivers [1][17][31]. - **Networking Investments**: The report indicates a ramp-up in investments in networking categories, which are expected to see substantial growth alongside server investments [1][17][31]. Company Coverage - J.P. Morgan remains bullish on companies that support AI infrastructure demands, particularly in networking. Companies highlighted include: - **Arista (ANET)** - **Celestica (CLS)** - **Ciena (CIEN)** - **Coherent (COHR)** - **Lumentum (LITE)** - **Fabrinet (FN)** [1][39]. Additional Insights - The report emphasizes that the **datacenter capex** figures exclude other equipment like HVAC and non-cloud business items, focusing solely on IT equipment [7]. - The anticipated growth rates for Tier 2 and neoclouds suggest a shift in the competitive landscape, indicating that these companies are becoming increasingly significant players in the datacenter investment space [35]. Conclusion - The outlook for cloud datacenter capex is exceptionally strong, driven by AI investments and a broader base of spending from both major and emerging players in the industry. The anticipated growth rates for 2025 and 2026 reflect a robust demand for cloud infrastructure, positioning the sector for continued expansion.