Contrary to the last thirty years of the web, the consumer and private companies turned into big tech players have taken the lead.
Its implications are massive, as it completely redefines the way we tackle the development of the AI ecosystem as a hybrid model between public and private and between geopolitical needs and infrastructure (energy, minerals), which are essential to spur the whole ecosystem.
As I’ve highlighted, AI is eating the world; we’re only at the beginning of this cycle of development of the whole ecosystem.
Therefore, the artificial intelligence revolution stands apart from previous technological transformations in scale and structure.
While the Internet era was primarily driven by consumer-facing startups that grew into tech giants, AI development follows a fundamentally different trajectory, resembling the early semiconductor industry more closely than the web economy.
This distinction is not merely academic; it represents a profound shift in how nations approach technological development, economic competition, and geopolitical strategy.
As I’ve analyzed the emerging AI ecosystem, a clear pattern has emerged: AI infrastructure development requires an integrated “deep capital stack” that combines public and private investment, strategic alliances, and massive energy resources in ways unprecedented in recent technological history.
The just announced U.S.-Saudi $600 billion strategic investment agreement offers a striking case study of this new paradigm.
The Six-Layers of The New Geopolitics of AI
We must examine six interconnected layers forming the complete ecosystem to grasp the full scope of AI infrastructure development.
Each layer demands specific forms of investment, expertise, and public-private collaboration.
