Alphabet Inc. R&D decreased by 8.3% to $17.03B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 25.6%, from $13.56B to $17.03B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), R&D shows an upward trend with a 17.9% CAGR.
Analysis
StatementIncome Statement
SectionOperating Expenses
CategoryGrowth
SignalContext dependent
VolatilityModerate
First reportedQ1 2013
Last reportedQ1 2026Apr 30, 2026
How to read this metric
Higher spending signals a commitment to innovation and future product launches, whereas significant cuts may indicate a shift toward short-term profitability.
Detailed definition
Research and development expenses represent the costs incurred to discover new products, improve existing technologies,...
Peer comparison
Highly comparable across pharmaceutical and medical device peers, where R&D intensity is a key metric for long-term valuation.
Metric ID:
research_and_developmentHistorical Data
20 periods
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $7.68B | $7.69B | $8.71B | $9.12B | $9.84B | $10.27B | $10.27B | $11.47B | $10.59B | $11.26B | $12.11B | $11.90B | $11.86B | $12.45B | $13.12B | $13.56B | $13.81B | $15.15B | $18.57B | $17.03B |
| QoQ Change | — | +0.2% | +13.2% | +4.7% | +7.9% | +4.4% | -0.1% | +11.7% | -7.7% | +6.3% | +7.6% | -1.7% | -0.4% | +4.9% | +5.4% | +3.4% | +1.9% | +9.7% | +22.6% | -8.3% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +28.2% | +33.5% | +17.9% | +25.8% | +7.6% | +9.6% | +18.0% | +3.8% | +12.0% | +10.6% | +8.3% | +13.9% | +16.4% | +21.7% | +41.6% | +25.6% |
Range$7.68B – $18.57B
CAGR+18.3%
Avg YoY Growth+18.4%
Median YoY Growth+17.2%
R&D at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Alphabet Inc.'s r&d?
- Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) reported r&d of $17.03B in Q1 2026.
- How has Alphabet Inc.'s r&d changed year-over-year?
- Alphabet Inc.'s r&d increased by 25.6% year-over-year, from $13.56B to $17.03B.
- What is the long-term trend for Alphabet Inc.'s r&d?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Alphabet Inc.'s r&d has grown at a 17.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $31.56B to $61.09B.
- What does r&d mean?
- The money spent on creating new products or improving existing ones to drive future growth.