根据资诚联合会计师事务所（PwC）发布的最新报告，为了满足全球对人工智慧（AI）不断增长的需求，到2050年全球资料中心的累计支出预计将达到31.6兆美元；若AI普及速度超出基准预测，该金额甚至可能攀升至50兆美元，其规模远超过历史上的铁路、电气化与网际网路等基础建设浪潮。其中，美国预计将吸纳近半数投资（约15.1兆美元），其次依序为亚太地区的8.2兆美元、欧洲的5.6兆美元，以及中东与非洲地区。
有别于以往一次性投入大量前期成本的传统资本支出周期，未来的资料中心投资绝大部分将用于硬体的周期性升级与置换，特别是每四到六年更换一次的晶片、伺服器及网路设备等运算核心，这也促使微软、亚马逊等科技巨头大量采购辉达（Nvidia）等晶片制造商的产品。年度全球支出预计将从今年的约8000亿美元增长至2030年的1.1兆美元，并在2050年达到1.8兆美元，其中中国与印度将凭借庞大的人口与数位经济成长驱动最显著的新增需求。
尽管市场需求强劲，资料中心的扩建仍面临多重严峻挑战与限制。电力供应的稳定性、成本以及低碳规模化是决定各区域能否吸引投资的首要关键，同时半导体供应链的中断可能使全球投资缩减近两成；此外，地方居民对于环境冲击与资源消耗的反弹也导致多个建设计划遭到阻延，未来各区域能否成功获得资金，将取决于电力基础建设、数据主权政策及供应链布局的应对能力。（关键数字：20）
According to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), global spending on data centers is projected to reach $31.6 trillion through 2050 to satisfy the surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI), and could even hit $50 trillion if adoption accelerates beyond central forecasts, far eclipsing historic buildouts like railways, electrification, and the internet. The United States is expected to capture nearly half of this capital expenditure at $15.1 trillion, followed by the Asia-Pacific region at $8.2 trillion, Europe at $5.6 trillion, and the Middle East and Africa accounting for the remainder.
Unlike traditional capital expenditure cycles that front-load investments, the bulk of data center spending will be driven by recurring hardware replacement cycles—such as GPUs, servers, storage, and networking gear updating every four to six years—fueling demand for chipmakers like Nvidia alongside tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon. Annual global expenditures are forecast to rise from roughly $800 billion today to $1.1 trillion by 2030 and $1.8 trillion by 2050, with China and India driving the largest share of incremental growth thanks to expanding digital economies and broad AI adoption headroom.
Despite intense global demand, the infrastructure expansion faces critical hurdles, most notably the availability of reliable, affordable, and scalable low-carbon power, which PwC identifies as the paramount factor dictating where facilities are built. Additionally, potential semiconductor supply chain disruptions could slash projected global investments by nearly 20%, while growing community opposition over environmental concerns, heavy resource consumption, and societal impacts has already blocked or delayed billions of dollars in planned projects.