IMF chief says AI investment keeps global growth near 3 per cent, benefiting Asian suppliers
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva says artificial-intelligence infrastructure investment is keeping the world economy growing at about 3 per cent, with major benefits for Asian hardware suppliers such as Thailand. AI investment could boost growth in advanced regional economies by half to on
Strong investment in artificial-intelligence infrastructure is keeping global growth at around 3 per cent, yielding major benefits for many Asian economies that supply the hardware, such as Thailand, said Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The AI investment boom was a “demand shock, an investment shock” that could boost growth in advanced regional economies by half to one full percentage point, and emerging Asian economies by 0.2 to 0.8 percentage point, Georgieva said on Monday.
“So that shift into higher gear is what is keeping the world economy growing at around 3 per cent, despite the fact we are being dragged down by the energy supply shock,” Georgieva told the IMF and World Bank annual meetings in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
The IMF chief’s comments highlight how the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is providing a counterbalance to other economic headwinds, particularly the energy supply shock that has weighed on global output. Economies in Asia that produce semiconductors, data-centre equipment and other AI hardware are expected to be among the biggest beneficiaries.