xOn January 20, Deloitte released the “2026 Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) Industry Predictions” report, highlighting that artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally reshaping the development logic of the hardware, software, telecommunications, and media industries. The report states that AI is not only driving a new wave of infrastructure investment and profoundly changing business models but also accelerating how people connect with information and consume content. By 2026 and beyond, AI will shape a more competitive and complex digital economy. AI is evolving from a technological tool into industrial infrastructure, with its impact continuing to spread across the entire technology, media, and telecommunications ecosystem.
The report further indicates that if enterprises and service providers can achieve efficient coordination and scheduling of intelligent agents, the global market for agentic AI could reach $45 billion by 2030. This multi-agent collaboration model will become a significant driver for improving efficiency, optimizing decision-making, and creating new types of services. Meanwhile, by 2026, AI inference tasks are expected to account for approximately two-thirds of the global demand for computing power. These computations will primarily be carried out in newly built data centers and enterprise-level servers. It is projected that nearly $500 billion will be invested in new data centers and server infrastructure, with over $200 billion dedicated to high-performance chips. Additionally, tens of billions of dollars will be allocated to specialized AI inference chips.
At the level of daily applications, the report predicts that the frequency of using generative AI through search engines will be three times higher than that of using any standalone generative AI tools. This indicates that AI is becoming deeply embedded in existing search and information retrieval scenarios, reshaping user behavior and the competitive landscape among platforms. In the realm of physical intelligence, the global installed base of industrial robots is expected to reach approximately 5.5 million units by 2026, maintaining a relatively moderate annual growth rate. The milestone of exceeding 1 million units in annual new installations of industrial robots is projected to be achieved only after 2030.
Amid the rapid development of AI, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella issued a warning at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on the same day. He stated that unless the application of artificial intelligence expands beyond large tech companies and affluent economies, this technological boom could evolve into a speculative bubble. Nadella emphasized that the long-term success of AI depends on its adoption by a broader range of industries and its dissemination beyond developed regions. If only tech companies benefit from the rise of AI while other industries fail to reap the rewards, this would be a “clear sign of a bubble.” Data from companies like Microsoft shows a significant divide in global AI adoption rates, with productivity gains and workplace applications primarily concentrated in wealthier developed countries. This imbalance is raising concerns within the industry about the sustainability of returns on AI investments.
In a dialogue with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Nadella stressed that for AI to avoid becoming a bubble, the key lies in ensuring that its benefits are distributed more evenly. He also expressed optimism about the prospects of AI technology, believing that it will build on the foundations of cloud computing and mobile technology, spread more rapidly, transform productivity curves, and drive economic growth across the globe.
