AI infrastructure investment hits 2.8% of US GDP, surpassing the railroad boom

QuintinPope5 · x · 2026-08-11

Columbia Business School's Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh points out that current US AI infrastructure investment accounts for about 2.8% of GDP, making it larger than the historical railroad boom.

He argues that this sudden and massive investment acts as a huge economic stimulus that has shifted macroeconomic data. Without this AI buildout, the US economy might currently be in a recession.

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