BlackRock chairman and WEF co-chairman Larry Fink (L) and Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (R) speak during a panel discussion during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, 21 January 2026. The meeting under the topic ‘A Spirit of Dialogue’ brings together entrepreneurs, scientists, and corporate and political leaders in Davos and takes place from 19 to 23 January in Davos. Photo by GIAN EHRENZELLER/ EPA
Jan. 22 (Asia Today) — Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said trillions of dollars more will be needed to build the energy and computing backbone for artificial intelligence, calling the push “the largest infrastructure construction project in human history.”
Huang made the comments Wednesday during a discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying hundreds of billions of dollars have already been invested but far more capital is required to complete core infrastructure such as power and computing capacity.
He described AI infrastructure as a five-layer stack that starts with energy and extends through chips and computing, cloud data centers, AI models and the application layer, likening it to a cake built from the bottom up.
Huang said the investment cycle should ripple across the broader economy, with demand for data center construction supporting jobs in construction, manufacturing, electrical work and equipment, and some roles paying six-figure salaries. He said the biggest value creation would ultimately come from applications and software at the top layer.
He also pushed back on claims that AI spending resembles a bubble, arguing the scale looks large because multiple layers of infrastructure must be built at the same time and that AI should be treated as essential infrastructure like electricity or roads.
Huang also said AI could help developing countries narrow technology gaps, while stressing the need to strengthen AI literacy through education.
Bloomberg reported Huang plans to visit China in late January to attend internal events ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday and may also travel to Beijing as Nvidia seeks to reopen the Chinese market for AI chips. Nvidia declined to comment, Reuters reported.
The reported trip comes after the Trump administration approved sales of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips to China under certain conditions, Reuters reported, though Chinese customs authorities later instructed agents to block the chips from entering the country, casting uncertainty over any near-term resumption of business.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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