What happened
Alphabet (GOOGL) runs Google and YouTube. It builds some of its data centres and rents others from the companies that own them.
GOOGLAlphabet·2026Q2 10-QPaidFiling score 89 · Large changeFiling bulletin ↗
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Alphabet has backstopped $43.8bn of data-centre payments — 2.6 times what it was six months ago
From the derivatives note in the Q2 2026 10-Q: the notional amount of data-centre backstops, accounted for as credit derivatives, went from $16.94bn at the end of December to $43.79bn at the end of June. The agreements run up to 15 years, and a new $20.0bn funding commitment to a private company through 2030 appeared in the same period
Alphabet (GOOGL) filed its Q2 2026 quarterly report (10-Q) on July 31, and the derivatives note carries a figure that does not appear in the income statement. The notional amount of the payment obligations Alphabet has backstopped for data centres stood at $43,785m on June 30, 2026. At December 31, 2025 it was $16,940m — 2.6 times higher in six months.
In plain terms
Alphabet uses data centres, and it has promised to pay if the companies that own those data centres cannot meet their own payments. The most it could owe under those promises was $43.785bn at the end of June, against $16.94bn six months earlier. The promises run for up to fifteen years and appear in the notes rather than in the accounts themselves. In the same period the company also agreed to put up to $20bn into one private company by 2030.
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89 Filing score · Large change
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FAQ
Has the $43.8bn been spent?
No. It is the maximum exposure if the specified defaults occur. The amount actually carried as a liability is far smaller; both figures are in the subscriber section.
What does Alphabet get if it has to pay?
The filing states that upon a default it retains the right to assume the underlying leases for its own use or to sublease them, and that under specific conditions or after a set period it may extinguish the obligation with a termination payment — in which case it may receive equity or cash back from counterparties. Those inflows are not reflected in the notional amounts.
Who is the $20.0bn commitment with?
The 10-Q says only 'a private company', without naming it. The condition is achievement of specified operational and financial milestones, and the period runs through 2030. This article does not speculate on the identity.
Where can I check this myself?
On SEC EDGAR, open Alphabet Inc.'s Q2 2026 10-Q (accession 0001652044-26-000071) and read the notional-amount table and the backstop description in Note 3, with the unconsolidated VIE section of Note 5.
How aiSwingX™ wrote this
- We read the filing on SEC EDGAR in full — statements, notes, MD&A. Press releases and news are not used as sources.
- Every figure is reconciled to its location in the filing and to XBRL data. One mismatch means no publication.
- An editor reviews before publication; any later change is recorded in the revision history.
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Alphabet Form 10-Q (Q2 2026, filed 2026-07-31), Note 3 'Derivative Financial Instruments' (notional and fair-value tables, backstop description), Note 5 'Variable interest entities', statement of operations · SEC EDGAR · This article is not investment advice. Disclaimer