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Beyond the hype: Assessing opportunities and constraints in digital infrastructure
- May 1, 2026: Vol. 19, Number 5

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Beyond the hype: Assessing opportunities and constraints in digital infrastructure

by Elise Mackanych

Digital infrastructure has surged in recent years, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), data centers and fiber networks. While allocations have been building for years, exposure to the sector is now becoming an essential component of institutional portfolios.

As AI adoption accelerates, companies are racing to participate in what many are calling an “AI gold rush.” While demand for digital infrastructure continues to outpace supply, investors are confronting the looming question of oversaturation and whether the AI investment boom is heading toward a bubble.

Digital infrastructure has become the foundation of the digital economy. Data centers, fiber networks, computing nodes and network servers all compose a massive physical ecosystem that is racing to sustain the accelerating growth of internet traffic, AI and cloud services. Supporting this ecosystem requires large sums of capital, technical expertise and large-scale physical development. Data centers often oc

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