{
  "id": 7950909,
  "title": "AI data centres: the costliest infrastructure race in history?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/ai-data-centres-the-costliest-infrastructure-race-in-history",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-17T04:40:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Al Majalla English",
    "slug": "al-majalla-english",
    "url": "https://en.majalla.com/node/333076/business-economy/ai-data-centres-costliest-infrastructure-race-history"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The article discusses the concept of AI data centres as the \"costliest infrastructure race in history,\" with a focus on the recurring commitment to purchasing new processors and servers every four to six years. According to PwC's modelling by Oxford Economics, the data-centre sector could attract $31.6tn in cumulative capital expenditure between 2026 and 2050, with annual investment rising from $800bn in 2026 to $1.8tn in 2050. The share of expenditure on buildings, infrastructure, power, and cooling systems declines over time, while information and communications technology equipment becomes the dominant cost component. The article highlights the inherent risk of this investment cycle, which depends on the rapid growth of AI-generated revenue to maintain a sufficient customer base.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}