U.S. technology companies increased their commitments for data center leases to over $850 billion in the first quarter of 2026, setting a record high in the race to build artificial intelligence infrastructure. The total commitment represents a $570 billion increase compared to the same period last year, a rise of 204%, and a $200 billion increase from the previous quarter, up 31%, according to Bloomberg data cited by market commentator The Kobeissi Letter on X, based on company filings.

Spending Increases Quarter Over Quarter

The surge in capital expenditure highlights the aggressive expansion strategies adopted by major technology firms to secure the necessary hardware and infrastructure for AI cloud services. Meta Platforms Inc. added the most new data center leases in the first quarter of 2026, committing $79 billion, which is a 76% increase from the previous quarter. This brought its total commitment to about $183 billion. Microsoft Corp. added $41 billion, up 26% quarter-over-quarter, taking its total to around $197 billion. Oracle Corp. holds the largest overall commitment at about $250 billion, after securing key sites linked to its contract with OpenAI.

Strategic AI Cloud Expansion

Meta is actively exploring the AI cloud services market by leasing computing infrastructure to external companies. To support its goal of building 5-gigawatt data centers by 2030, the company plans to introduce a new AI chip every six months. The Mark Zuckerberg-led company has partnered with Samsung Electronics’ System LSI division to accelerate AI chip development. Meta is reportedly in advanced talks with Samsung Foundry, a division of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, for a manufacturing agreement valued at over 10 trillion won ($6.53 billion) to produce its proprietary AI accelerator, MTIA, starting from its third generation using Samsung Foundry’s advanced 2-nanometer process.

Market Context and Backlash

The spending spree comes despite local communities’ intensifying pushback over water use, power costs, and pollution. Billionaire investor Mark Cuban has urged towns to hold AI firms accountable only when data centers cause documented damage. A Gallup survey found 71% of Americans oppose data centers near their communities, while research firm Data Center Watch estimated $130 billion in U.S. projects were blocked or delayed in the first quarter alone. Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc., and CoreWeave Inc. are also among the biggest lessors driving the sector’s expansion since 2023.

Access Advance LLC announced that Meta Platforms, Inc. and Alibaba Group have joined its Video Distribution Patent Pool (VDP Pool) as licensees. Meta Platforms, a major distributor of video content across Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, also joined both the HEVC Advance and VVC Advance pools. Alibaba Group, which operates video infrastructure across e-commerce, entertainment, and digital media platforms, was added as a VDP Pool Licensee. The inclusion of these companies reinforces the program's position in resolving licensing issues for modern video codecs, including VP9, AV1, HEVC, and VVC, across internet video streaming business models.

Peter Moller, CEO of Access Advance, stated that Meta's participation is a milestone for the content distribution business and the VDP Pool. He noted that Meta reaches billions of users daily through some of the world's most watched video platforms. Moller added that Meta's involvement reflects the balanced licensing solution offered by the VDP Pool and highlights Meta's leadership in bringing modern video codecs like AV1 to consumers. He also remarked that Alibaba's sophistication in video technology makes its expansion in the VDP Pool meaningful, further establishing the program as a licensing solution for the streaming media industry.

About Access Advance

Access Advance LLC is an independent licensing administrator company formed to lead the development, administration, and management of patent pools for licensing essential patents of key video codec technologies. The company provides a transparent and efficient licensing mechanism for patent owners and implementers.

Patent Portfolio

Access Advance manages several patent pools, including the HEVC Advance Patent Pool for licensing over 29,000 patents essential to HEVC/H.265 technology and the VVC Advance Patent Pool for licensing over 5,400 patents essential to VVC/H.266 technology. The company offers a Multi-Codec Bridging Agreement, providing eligible licensees with a single discounted royalty rate structure for those participating in both the HEVC Advance and VVC Advance pools.

In addition to these pools, Access Advance offers the Video Distribution Patent Pool, a comprehensive licensing solution for video streaming services covering HEVC, VVC, VP9, and AV1 codecs. The company has also acquired the administrator of Via LA’s HEVC/VVC patent pool, now named the VCL Advance (Video Codec Licensing) program.