AI's Power Boom: Data Centers Multiply and Redraw the Tech Landscape

A global surge of AI-focused data centers is unleashing a power surge for artificial intelligence. The number of AI chips in use is expected to approach 200 million by 2028 (from about 20 million today), with hundreds of new data centers coming online and chip production accelerating to support both training and real-time inference. This shift, driven by the Scaling Laws idea that more compute yields disproportionately better AI, positions the U.S. as the current power leader while China narrows the gap and Europe lags on infrastructure. Global AI infrastructure spending is forecast to top $1 trillion by 2029, underscoring a race to dominate the underlying compute fuel for future breakthroughs—and sparking concerns about energy use, environmental impact, and the potential disruption to jobs and politics.