Amazon needs cash for AI. A lot of cash.
The company's spending plans for 2026 sit near $200 billion. Today Amazon found a new way to chip away at that bill by tapping Switzerland's bond market for the first time.
Amazon hired BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, and JPMorgan to lead a six-part Swiss franc bond sale. The maturities range from three to 25 years, so investors can pick how long they want to lend.
For Amazon, this is a first. The company has historically borrowed in US dollars, with occasional euro deals.
Reaching into Switzerland is a sign of how big the AI funding need has gotten, because the Swiss market is deep, stable, and full of investors hungry for safe-looking corporate paper.
The structure also tells a story. The three, five, seven, and ten-year tranches give Amazon flexibility on the front end, while the 15 and 25-year pieces are built to match insurance and pension demand.
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CEO Andy Jassy has said Amazon will spend about $200 billion in capex this year. Capex is short for capital expenditure, which is money for property, equipment, and big infrastructure projects.
The lion's share is going into data centers, chips, and other AI hardware. That single line item is bigger than the yearly revenue of most Fortune 500 companies.
Other hyperscalers are doing the same thing. Alphabet sold about 3 billion Swiss francs in bonds in February, the largest ever Swiss franc bond from a corporate borrower.
Amazon's debut euro bond earlier this year set the same record in that currency. Picture five or six tech giants drinking from the same well, so now they're drilling new wells around the world to keep the pipeline flowing.
The size and pricing of Amazon's Swiss franc deal will set the benchmark for any tech borrower that wants to try the same trick.
Strong demand will likely send Microsoft and Meta to Switzerland next. Wider pricing than Alphabet's earlier deal would signal that bond investors are getting cautious about how much debt Big Tech is taking on to pay for AI.
The buildout has a price tag. Now investors get to see it printed on a bond cover.
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