By Chin Hui Leong
Publication Date: 2026-01-22 09:30:00
Big Tech is pouring hundreds of billions into AI capital expenditure.
But the question on every investor’s mind is: where’s the money?
The good news?
Today’s AI investments are backed by actual revenue.
Here’s how three tech giants are turning AI hype into hard cash.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) may have the clearest monetisation story of the trio.
The social media giant’s AI-powered ad tools now generate a US$60 billion annual run-rate.
That’s not a projection — that’s real money flowing through AI systems today.
Here’s the thing: Meta has rebuilt its entire advertising stack from the ground up with AI as the foundation.
The results speak for themselves.
For the third quarter of 2025 (3Q’25), Family of Apps ad revenue surpassed US$50 billion, up 26% year-over-year.
The secret sauce?
Ad impressions grew 14% while average price per ad climbed 10%.
Meta is showing more ads AND charging more…
