Five US tech giants' hidden debts soar to $1.65T on opaque AI funding

Data center leases, GPU supply contracts raise liabilities at Meta, Oracle, Nikkei study shows

A Meta data center in the state of Georgia. The company's off-balance-sheet debt is about $420 billion, nearly triple its transparent debt. © AP

PALO ALTO, California -- Hidden debt at U.S. tech giants swelled eightfold in roughly four years to an estimated $1.65 trillion as artificial intelligence investments ballooned, a Nikkei study shows, exceeding actual debt and making it tougher for investors to assess risk.