Apple’s research and development expenses reached $45.77 billion in fiscal 2026, up $11.22 billion, or 32%, from $34.55 billion in fiscal 2025, according to the company’s financial statements. The fiscal year ended September 26.
The total amounts to roughly $125 million per day. R&D spending rose much faster than Apple’s annual revenue, which increased 15%. The company now directs close to one dollar of every ten dollars in revenue to research and development.
Spending was almost unchanged between the final two quarters. Apple reported $11.730 billion in R&D expenses for the September quarter, compared with $11.729 billion in the June quarter.
Apple has previously connected its expanding development budget to artificial intelligence. On an April earnings call, CFO Kevan Parekh said AI investment would be in addition to spending already planned for the company’s product roadmap. Then-CEO Tim Cook also pointed to rising R&D expenses when asked about Apple’s AI investments.
Sources: MacRumors.