This Graph of Data Center Spending Compared to All Other Construction Will Give You Chills
How did we even get here? The post This Graph of Data Center Spending Compared to All Other Construction Will Give You Chills appeared first on Futurism .
A recent essay by Derek Thompson explores the surprising growth in data center construction spending compared to other sectors in 2026. The bar graph illustrating this growth, based on data from Harvard Kennedy School economist Jason Furman, reveals a staggering 64.5 percent increase in data center construction, while other categories have declined sharply.
Energy infrastructure saw only a modest 4.1 percent growth, driven by the demand for electricity to power the AI boom, while multi-family homes, healthcare, and commercial retail construction all experienced declines of 5.6, 10.1, and 10.1 percent respectively. Educational and manufacturing construction fared even worse, plummeting by 12.6 and 24 percent, respectively.
This stark contrast paints a picture of an economy largely propelled by the AI boom, leaving other sectors to crumble. Thompson, known for his "abundance" theory, suggests that the current economic abundance is predominantly fueled by AI spending. However, as doubts grow over the sustainability of AI investments, it may soon be just a matter of time before data center spending experiences a significant downturn.
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