UNCTAD Urges AI Investment Beyond Data Centres as Developing Economies Lag

Global investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure has surged, but developing economies remain largely sidelined from the boom, according to analysis released by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) at the World Investment Forum in Doha. Announcing the findings on 26 October 2026, UNCTAD urged governments and financiers to look beyond data centres and support the broader domestic systems required to turn technology into economic gains.

Announced greenfield investment in AI infrastructure expanded by an average of 47% annually between 2020 and 2025, according to UNCTAD's World Investment Report. The agency noted that global spending on AI infrastructure is approaching $800 billion this year. However, geographic distribution remains highly skewed, with a handful of economies hosting the vast majority of AI infrastructure investment. Writing on the forum's AI track, ITU Deputy Secretary-General Tomas Lamanauskas noted that Africa and Latin America together account for just 3.3% of data centre capacity, that around 90% of known AI supercomputer processing happens in two countries, and that low- and lower-middle-income economies attracted only around 10% of strategic-sector greenfield investment between 2020 and 2025.

Speaking at the forum, UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno warned that physical facilities require reliable power grids, water for cooling, robust telecommunications, and skilled labour simultaneously. He stressed that most economic value will come from applying the technology in sectors such as agriculture, logistics, and public healthcare rather than merely hosting server farms. The forum highlighted three priorities: investing across the wider ecosystem, including electricity, connectivity, education and local-language applications; broadening access to finance, tools and markets for smaller firms in developing economies; and building trust through transparent governance and interoperable standards.

What it means

For the Global South, capital-intensive server clusters risk draining scarce water and electricity without delivering broad development gains unless international financing prioritises domestic skills, local use cases, and foundational public infrastructure.