FT: ByteDance Plans to Spend $23 Billion on AI Infrastructure in 2026

According to Financial Times and Reuters reports on December 23, 2025, Chinese tech giant ByteDance (owner of TikTok) intends to increase its capital expenditure on artificial intelligence to a record $23 billion in 2026. This ambitious plan focuses on procuring advanced chips and building massive data centers required to train next-generation models. Such an investment volume places ByteDance on par with US hyperscalers like Meta and Google.

Analysts note that such colossal spending signals the company's drive to secure technological sovereignty amid strict US export restrictions. A significant portion of the funds will likely go towards purchasing domestic accelerators (e.g., Huawei Ascend) and developing proprietary chips. This move could fundamentally alter the balance of power in the global AI race, creating a powerful infrastructural stronghold in Asia capable of supporting algorithms serving billions of users.

Source: Reuters