Digital Infrastructure Investment Tops $200B Globally
Data centers, 5G rollout, and AI infrastructure are driving unprecedented cross-border capital flows.
Global investment in digital infrastructure surpassed $200 billion for the first time in 2025, and 2026 is on track to eclipse that figure by a significant margin, according to new data compiled by the FDI Research Institute.
Data centers represent the largest single category, accounting for $78 billion of new investment commitments, driven by insatiable demand for AI compute capacity. Hyperscaler expansions by the major US technology companies account for the majority of this figure, but sovereign wealth funds and infrastructure investors are increasingly entering the space.
5G network rollout — particularly in markets that are still in early deployment phases — attracted $52 billion in cross-border investment, with Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America emerging as priority expansion targets for both equipment manufacturers and network operators.
Perhaps most significantly, AI infrastructure — encompassing not just compute but also the power systems, cooling technologies, and connectivity required to support large-scale AI deployment — has emerged as a distinct investment category attracting dedicated capital.
The FDI Research Institute forecasts that digital infrastructure will account for more than 30% of all tracked FDI by 2028, up from 18% in 2022.