India, Oct. 16 -- The AI infrastructure boom is running into a financial test. Gartner estimates that more than USD 3.5 trillion of AI infrastructure spending could be exposed to impairment by the end of 2030 if providers maintain their current pace of capital investment.

The concern is not that AI infrastructure demand will disappear. It is that the revenue generated by AI may not be enough to produce the returns needed to justify the scale of spending. Gartner expects AI providers to spend nearly USD 1 trillion on infrastructure in 2026, followed by another USD 6 trillion between 2027 and 2030.

Gartner estimates that AI data centre owners would need to generate USD 8.5 trillion in cumulative revenue through 2030 to cover announced cap...