Against all odds, the US economy continues to grow at a record-setting pace. Yet as new economic data shows, that growth is anything but healthy, and predicated almost entirely on the AI boom.
A new essay by podcaster and writer Derek Thompson takes a look at key economic metrics surrounding AI in 2026. Among the most striking is a bar graph showing growth in construction spending, a key indicator of economic stability.
Using data from Harvard Kennedy School economist Jason Furman, Thompson shows that growth in data center construction has exploded this year, while all but one other category has regressed.
By the numbers, data center construction has grown at a rate of 64.5 percent in the most recent year, while new energy infrastructure has grown by 4.1 percent to keep pace — since demand is growing for electricity to power the AI boom.
