NewsNovo

Berkshire's Alphabet stake rests on Google Cloud growth and a $200 billion infrastructure build

8/20/2026

Berkshire Hathaway has built Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL, GOOG) into its third-largest equity holding, and the case for that position centers on two data points: Google Cloud's 82% year-over-year revenue growth in the second quarter of 2026, and more than $242 billion in liquidity on the balance sheet, up from $127 billion a year earlier.

The complication is what it cost to get there.

Alphabet has said it plans to spend between $195 billion and $205 billion on capital expenditures this year, mostly on AI data center infrastructure, pushing long-term debt from $46.5 billion at the end of June 2025 to around $123 billion.

Warren Buffett, who retired as Berkshire's chief executive at the end of 2025 and handed the role to Greg Abel, initiated the original Alphabet position.

Keep reading

Read the full story

Open on NewsNovo