Why Is AI Infrastructure Quietly Becoming Your Most Important Capital Decision?
AI has moved the conversation from “Which model?” to “Which infrastructure, at what cost, and under which risk constraints?”. Leading analyses from top consulting firms converge on a simple message.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
AI has moved the conversation from “Which model?” to “Which infrastructure, at what cost, and under which risk constraints?”. Leading analyses from top consulting firms converge on a simple message. The build-out of AI data centers and compute capacity represents one of the largest capital shifts in decades and will not be easily reversible. Decision windows compress as hyperscalers, neoclouds, utilities, and governments lock in long-term positions. This brief synthesizes the consulting consensus and disagreements on AI infrastructure economics, quantifies the funding challenge, and outlines how boards can operationalize capital discipline, risk controls, and new business models around compute.