The Infrastructure Investor Podcast

The AI revolution: How infrastructure is adapting

2026-01-28 · 07:00 UTC ·PEI Group ·1 min read

Brief

AI infrastructure is presented as a convergence story between electricity systems and digital assets. In this Brookfield-sponsored episode, Stewart Upson and Udhay Mathialagan describe how AI is increasing demand for power, transmission, data centers, and compute simultaneously, pushing infrastructure investors to work more closely with hyperscalers and governments. The conversation emphasizes investment opportunity, while acknowledging that geopolitics, capital intensity, and execution risk complicate delivery.

Why it matters

Brookfield executives Stewart Upson and Udhay Mathialagan argue that AI demand is shifting infrastructure from a defensive asset class to a strategic one, with power networks, generation, transmission, advanced data centers, and compute becoming central to national economic competitiveness.

Key details

  • The episode frames AI buildout as a capital-intensive global race involving infrastructure managers, hyperscalers, governments, and AI developers, with Brookfield positioning the supporting infrastructure around AI as one of the 2026-2030 decade’s largest investment opportunities.
  • A key risk/opportunity theme is that meeting AI demand requires coordinated investment across both energy and digital infrastructure rather than data centers alone, as energy transition pressures, geopolitics, and capital constraints reshape private-market infrastructure investing.
Source evidence

title: The AI revolution: How infrastructure is adapting
author: PEI Group
contenttype: podcast
publication: The Infrastructure Investor Podcast
published: 2026-01-28T07:00:00+00:00
sourceurl: https://infrastructureinvestorpodcast.podbean.com/e/the-ai-revolution-how-infrastructure-is-adapting/

word_count: 214

This episode is sponsored by Brookfield The infrastructure asset class is entering a defining moment. As energy transition pressures, geopolitics and capital intensity reshape the market, assets such as power networks and digital infrastructure are becoming central to economic competitiveness, rather than simply defensive investments. Artificial intelligence is accelerating this shift. Beyond the hype, AI’s growth depends on vast amounts of physical infrastructure – from power generation and transmission to advanced data centres and computers. Meeting that demand is pulling infrastructure managers into a global race alongside hyperscalers and governments, creating one of the decade’s most significant investment opportunities. This podcast is part of PEI Group's Private Markets 2030 programme exploring how private markets are evolving through the second half of the decade. In this programme, we unpack how managers can adapt, attract capital and deliver performance in an increasingly complex market. Joining us are two guests from Brookfield: Stewart Upson, co-president of Brookfield’s infrastructure group, and Udhay Mathialagan, a managing partner in the infrastructure group and CEO of Brookfield’s global data centre practice. They discuss the opportunities and risks for managers delivering the supporting infrastructure around AI and look at how investors are partnering with governments, hyperscalers and AI developers. Read more insights on the infrastructure AI journey from Brookfield’s Stewart Upson here.