AI Infrastructure Build-Out Poised to Rival Historic Railroad Expansion, CBRE Reports
A new CBRE report links today’s AI build-out directly with America’s 1850s railroad boom. The report shows AI projects grow fast and may exceed the railroad era in scope.
Historic Investment by Tech Giants
Hyperscale companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft plan to invest $3.7 trillion in AI infrastructure over five years. They build investment plans with clear aims. Their spending links directly to AI’s power to shape jobs and economies worldwide.
Julie Whelan leads CBRE’s occupier research. She calls the AI build-out historic. She stresses that the project boosts U.S. global competitiveness and grows the economy. This report marks the first of four that look at AI’s overall impact. The first report connects AI with workforce and economic change; later reports will link AI with office demand.
Changing Job Landscape and Economic Growth
Some worry that AI will remove jobs. Whelan says AI will change job roles rather than cancel them. Workers will adapt. New roles will form, much like jobs did not exist 25 years ago. In addition, AI work may help grow the economy when the working-age population shrinks.
Today, nearly 80% of American companies use AI tools. Yet 90% report little overall business change. This fact connects to AI’s early role in work and workforce trends.
Diverse Perspectives on AI’s Workforce Impact
CBRE shows that different groups see AI in various lights. Some fear AI will cause job loss. Others expect AI to bring new roles. A Pew Research report finds one-third of workers worry that AI might cut jobs.
Other research adds more clear links. Studies by Brookings Metro and Opportunity@Work warn that AI may limit access to better-paying jobs. A Gallup and Lumina Foundation survey shows that almost half of college students now change their majors because AI makes them uncertain.
Meanwhile, some studies connect learning AI skills to worker confidence. The University of Phoenix Career Institute says these skills boost confidence in landing better jobs. LinkedIn expert Andrew Seaman connects human skills such as collaboration, leadership, and communication to lasting job value. AI cannot copy these skills.
Office and Industrial Real Estate Trends
CBRE expects AI to shift job roles rather than erase them. The shift brings new work styles instead of outright job loss. Past events, like the internet and smartphones, show office roles grew after big tech changes. Whelan connects this pattern to AI, though she expects a slower pace.
Early signs link steady demand to office space in urban centers with skilled workers. The biggest impact now connects to data centers and industrial real estate. Data center construction now grows 12 times more than in 2020. Industrial leasing soars by 28% since early 2025, driven by companies that build AI infrastructure.
Investment and Market Growth
Since 2020, U.S. AI startups have received about $578 billion in venture capital. Nearly 75% of that funding arrived in the last two years. CBRE links the AI build-out to nearly half of U.S. GDP growth last year, a far bigger share than the 8% seen in 2023 and 2024. A recent CBRE report also shows record growth in the North American data center market. Demand grows from AI research, cloud computing, and e-commerce.
Looking Ahead
AI infrastructure grows at a historic pace. Its impact connects deeply to the economy, workforce, and real estate markets. CBRE’s insights link past technology changes with future challenges and opportunities. The report builds a clear picture of how AI transforms jobs and markets.
Photo Credit: Noah Berger/Getty Images via Amazon Web Services
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