Perspectives index + Collaborators tab
The six thin perspective stubs are retired in favor of a single honest index: Power & grid stands as published — the data-centre buildout deep dive — while materials & mining, VC & capital, the application layer, jobs & labor, and students & skills show as "In research" with their open questions. The duplicate power & grid page redirects to the buildout hub. Also new: the Collaborators tab, publishing human perspectives from people building the AI economy — practitioner opinions under their own bylines, clearly separated from our data research. First two pieces: Bhavin on how public markets price AI, and Nishi on AI’s healthcare ROI starting with the back office.
See the full changelogImpact Suite
Mapping the AI buildout as a market — who builds, who funds, who pays, and what changes for people over the next decade.
New here? Start here — pick your 10-minute path.
The AI data center buildout: the power edge
What the buildout is actually doing to power — traced three orders deep, every figure sourced. Not a pitch; the data.
The five largest tech firms spent $400B+ in 2025 and are set to raise it ~75% in 2026 — most of it AI infrastructure. [11] IEA
This spending builds the data centers that consume the electricity above — and drives the price spike below.
From $28.92 to the $333.44 cap in three years; the grid's market watchdog pinned ~63% of the jump on data centers. [12] RTO Insider [5] Utility Dive
This cost gets passed to electricity bills — that's where regular people start paying for the AI buildout.
Thousands to build (~800–1,200 at peak); ~25–50 to run it. Billions of capex, dozens of permanent staff. [8] Brookings
The construction boom is real but temporary — and it pulls workers from housing and other projects that also need them.
Every figure sourced · who wins & who pays, three orders deep · as of September 2026