Data Centres Become New Gold Mine, Foreign Investment Hits Rp 2,300 Trillion
Global investment trends in the first half of 2026 show a powerful shift towards digital infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Global greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI)—investment aimed at constructing new projects or facilities—reached approximately US$538 billion during the first half of 2026, equivalent to roughly Rp 9,549 trillion (at an exchange rate of US$1 = Rp 17,750).
The communications sector has become the primary magnet for foreign investment, reaching a value of US$139.3 billion between January and June 20lam. Of this, more than US$131 billion (Rp 2,325.25 trillion) flowed into data centre projects, representing over 94% of the total investment in that sector. This figure is equivalent to approximately 24.5% of all global greenfield FDI capital expenditure during this period.
According to fDi Intelligence, this proportion is the highest ever recorded in fDi Markets data, for both annual and semi-annual periods. The scale of data centre investment is reflected in several mega-scale projects. In May 2026, SoftBank announced a commitment of €45 billion (approximately Rp 919.6 trillion, assuming €1 = Rp 20,435) over five years to build AI infrastructure in France. The project will feature a data centre capacity of 3.1 gigawatts across three locations, with the investment potentially expanding to €75 billion. Reuters described the initial project as one of the largest investments in AI infrastructure in Europe.
The impact of the AI investment boom is also being felt in other sectors. Renewable energy emerged as the second-largest greenfield FDI sector in the first half of 2026, attracting approximately US$73.3 billion—US$28.6 billion higher than investments in coal, oil, and gas, which reached US$44.7 billion. Renewable energy investment flowed primarily into solar power, followed by hydrogen, clean technology, and wind power.
Investment in the semiconductor sector also reached US$38.8 billion in the first six months of 2026, including a US$24 billion commitment from Micron to build NAND flash production facilities in Singapore. These chips are critical components in AI infrastructure. Meanwhile, the transport and warehousing sector attracted US$24.9 billion, industrial equipment reached US$14.6 billion, and electronic components and IT software/services recorded US$13.7 billion each.
The electricity requirements to support AI are also driving investment in fossil fuels. Approximately US$33 billion of the investment in the coal, oil, and gas sector originated from plans by SoftBank subsidiary SB Energy Corp to build a 9.2-gigawatt gas-fired power plant in Ohio, USA. The plant is designed to supply electricity to a developing data centre complex.
This massive capital flow is a key factor in the rapid development of the AI ecosystem. Technology companies are not only allocating funds to develop AI models but are also building the necessary computing capacity to train and deploy these technologies at scale. The scale far exceeds that of conventional data centre construction. PwC estimates that global data centre capital expenditure will reach approximately US$800 billion per year in 2026 and could potentially rise to US$1.8 trillion per year by 2050. Cumulatively, PwC predicts that global AI infrastructure investment could reach US$31.6 trillion by 2050.
Behind every increasingly large AI model, there are massive investments in building data centres, chips, power grids, and various supporting infrastructures. Consequently, the surge in AI investment is not only transforming the technology industry but is also beginning to shape the direction of global capital flows and driving the development of energy and digital infrastructure on an unprecedented scale.