BARCLAY WARNED THAT THE EXPANSION OF AI'S INFRASTRUCTURE COULD PUT RELATED TRANSACTIONS AT POLITICAL RISK

On 26 August, the Barclays strategy team stated that the rapidly expanding AI infrastructure was triggering a backlash among United States bipartisan voters, potentially posing political risks to the current hot AI deal. “Data centre construction is transforming AI from an abstract scientific story into a specific cost-of-living issue”, Barclay said. Even voters with limited access to AI are affected by higher electricity costs, water stress and the construction of community industrial facilities. EvercoreISI and BCA Research also warned that the build-up of electrical data centres was becoming a sensitive issue for the medium-term elections and that voters were increasingly dissatisfied with rising electricity costs. Barclay argued that, regardless of the outcome of the midterm election, AI transactions lacked a new upward catalyst and reminded investors not to assume that “the fast AI application of growth and a relaxed political environment can coexist in the long term”. The AI data centre index under the flag includes more than 40 companies, including microcomputers, Arista Networks and Microsoft, and associated stocks may face policy pressure。