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Funding & Deals

BlackRock: Why AI Investment will Evolve in 2026

Investors shift focus from big tech to energy and infrastructure as AI scales

Key Insights

BlackRock's latest Investment Directions report reveals a rebalancing in AI-related capital: institutional investors are cooling on big tech's AI leadership and instead see energy providers and grid infrastructure as more sustainable return opportunities. The firm highlights how AI's power demands elevate utility and infrastructure sectors into strategic positions. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

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Investment sentiment is tiltingAI growth isn't only about software anymore

BlackRock's clients are signaling a strategic pivot in how they view AI-driven value:

  • Big tech's sheen is dimming: Only about a fifth of surveyed investors still see large US tech firms as the best growth bet in 2026, reflecting elevated valuations and concentrated risk. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

  • Energy and infrastructure rise: More than half of investors now favour energy providers and grid operatorssectors entwined with powering data centres and AI compute loads. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

  • AI's energy footprint is structural: continuous compute demand makes power consumption a core investment theme, not a transitory cost center. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

For executives, this shift means thinking beyond platforms and modelsthe physical backbone of AI matters to capital allocation, risk profiles and long-term growth narratives.

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