tech
Exclusive: Goldman bankers say the next AI boom is in the physical economy
AI has made technology companies increasingly dependent on non-tech firms.
TL;DR
- AI investment and adoption are shifting from tech labs to the physical economy (factories, mines, utilities).
- Goldman Sachs estimates $7.6 trillion in global AI infrastructure investment from 2026-2031.
- The majority of the economy (99.5%) is AI's next frontier beyond software.
- Traditional tech and industrial company boundaries are blurring.
- Manufacturing executives are moving from questioning AI adoption to considering automation speed.
- Future production lines are expected to rely more on robots than human workers, especially for unsafe tasks.
- Tech M&A has already seen significant growth in 2026.