Google Unveils Developer API Amid Record AI Spending

Google is pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence and cloud technology, but its bold new investments are making waves far beyond Silicon Valley. This week, the tech giant unveiled a pair of significant moves: the public preview of its Developer Knowledge API, a tool designed to revolutionize how developers access documentation, and a blockbuster forecast for capital expenditures that has Wall Street analysts and tech insiders buzzing.

On February 5, 2026, Google announced the Developer Knowledge API and its companion MCP server, both now available in public preview. The aim? To make it dramatically easier for developers to tap into the ever-evolving trove of Google’s technical documentation. According to SD Times, the API allows developers to search and retrieve documentation for Google’s services—including Firebase, Android, and Google Cloud—in Markdown format. It’s a move that could reshape the workflow for millions of coders worldwide.

The Developer Knowledge API supports two main functions: SearchDocumentChunks, which lets users find page URIs and content snippets based on a query, and GetDocument or BatchGetDocuments, which retrieves the full content of the search results. Developers can now stay up-to-date with the latest releases, as Google re-indexes all its documentation within 24 hours of any service update. That’s a game-changer for those who rely on the most current information to build and maintain their apps.

Jess Kuras, a technical writer at Google, captured the challenge succinctly in a recent blog post: “Large Language Models (LLMs) are only as good as the context they are given. When building with Google technology, developers need their AI assistants to know the latest Firebase features, the most recent Android API changes, and the current best practices for Google Cloud.” It’s a problem that’s plagued AI coding tools for years—outdated documentation leading to inaccurate or obsolete suggestions. Google’s new API is a direct response to that pain point.

But the company isn’t stopping there. The newly released MCP server allows development teams to connect the API directly to their Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) and AI coding assistants. This integration can provide real-time advice as developers write code—think instant answers on implementing push notifications in Firebase, quick fixes for stubborn errors, or side-by-side comparisons of Google’s vast suite of services. For now, the information is returned as unstructured Markdown, but Google promises that structured content—like code sample objects and API reference entities—is on the horizon as the tools move toward general availability.

While these developer-focused innovations are grabbing headlines in the tech community, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is making equally bold bets on the future of AI infrastructure. On February 4, 2026, Alphabet reported that it had beaten Wall Street’s expectations for its fourth quarter, with strong numbers in revenue, earnings per share, and cloud performance. Yet, despite the rosy financials, shares dipped in after-hours trading—a sign that investors are wary of the company’s ambitious spending plans.

Alphabet’s forecast for 2026 capital expenditures is jaw-dropping: the company expects to spend between $175 billion and $185 billion, more than double what it shelled out in 2025. According to CNBC, this is a higher bar than any of its hyperscaler peers. For context, Microsoft recently said its capex would decrease sequentially, while Meta expects to spend up to $135 billion in 2026. Amazon’s numbers are also climbing, but Alphabet’s projection stands out for its sheer scale.

The spending spree comes as tech companies race to build the infrastructure needed to support the surging demand for AI services. Google’s cloud unit, which houses most of its AI products, saw its backlog surge 55% sequentially and more than double year-over-year, reaching $240 billion at the end of the fourth quarter. Cloud revenue itself jumped nearly 48% compared to last year. Those are eye-popping figures, reflecting a market hungry for AI-driven solutions.

Alphabet’s finance chief, Anat Ashkenazi, explained on a call with analysts that the planned 2026 capex will go toward investing in AI compute capacity for Google DeepMind, meeting significant cloud customer demand, and making strategic investments in other bets. She broke down the company’s 2025 capex spending, noting, “The vast majority of our capex was invested in technical infrastructure with approximately 60% of that investment in servers and 40% in data centers and networking equipment in Q4.”

Executives were quick to highlight AI wins from the quarter. Google’s flagship AI app, Gemini, now boasts 750 million monthly active users, up from 650 million just a quarter ago. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai also spotlighted the company’s high-profile deal with Apple to overhaul Siri using Gemini AI models, emphasizing that the iPhone-maker had chosen Google as its preferred cloud provider. When asked about the biggest challenges facing the company, Pichai didn’t mince words: “Compute capacity. Be it power, land, supply chain constraints, how do you ramp up to meet this extraordinary demand for this moment?”

Alphabet’s aggressive expansion isn’t just about software. In December 2025, the company agreed to acquire data center company Intersect for $4.75 billion in cash and the assumption of debt, further solidifying its commitment to building out the physical backbone of its AI ambitions. Amin Vahdat, Google’s AI infrastructure boss, summed up the urgency in a message to employees: the company must double its serving capacity every six months to keep pace with demand. “The competition in AI infrastructure is the most critical and also the most expensive part of the AI race,” Vahdat said, according to CNBC.

Of course, Wall Street’s reaction has been mixed. While Alphabet was one of the top performers of 2025, the software sector as a whole has lost 30% of its value in the last three months, CNBC’s Michael Santoli pointed out. Investors are wary that the breakneck pace of AI spending could upend existing software tools and make higher expenditures riskier. Yet, with customers clamoring for more AI-powered solutions and the competition for infrastructure heating up, Alphabet seems determined to stay ahead of the curve—whatever the cost.

For developers, the new API and MCP server promise a more streamlined, up-to-date experience, reducing the friction that comes from chasing down the latest documentation. For investors and industry watchers, Alphabet’s spending spree raises tough questions about risk, reward, and the future shape of the AI landscape. One thing’s certain: in the race to define the next era of computing, Google is betting big—and moving fast.