Escrow.com Says 522,000 IPv4 Addresses Traded in Q1 as AI Demand Lifts $15 Billion Market
Updated
Updated · Bay to Bay News · May 26
Escrow.com Says 522,000 IPv4 Addresses Traded in Q1 as AI Demand Lifts $15 Billion Market
4 articles · Updated · Bay to Bay News · May 26
522,000 IPv4 addresses changed hands through Escrow.com in Q1 2026, which the company said puts the market on pace for its busiest year since 2020.
AI agents are driving the surge, according to Escrow.com's inaugural IPv4 Investment Index, which draws on $536 million in completed deals across 82 countries and showed average deal size jumped 66% from a year earlier.
Supply remains tight because IPv4's 4.3 billion addresses were exhausted 15 years ago; the official wait for new allocations is 12 to 20 months, with a maximum of 1,024 addresses.
Brokers reported selling more large address blocks in six weeks than in the prior 12 months and expect prices for /16 blocks, now $10 to $13 per IP, to reach about $20 by year-end.
A further squeeze could come from the US government's $22 billion broadband program, while the broader secondary IPv4 market has been worth an estimated $15 billion over the past eight years.
If the internet's future is IPv6, why are companies spending billions on a depleted 45-year-old technology to power AI?
With prices soaring 900%, is the $15B IPv4 market a tech bubble or a new digital asset class for the AI era?
As AI agents create entirely new traffic, can our current digital infrastructure handle the future internet they are building?
The Agentic AI Surge: $139B Market, Internet Infrastructure Strain, and the Future of Digital Commerce
Overview
The AI agents market is growing explosively, fueled by rapid technological advancements and rising enterprise demand for automation and productivity. In 2025, the market was valued at USD 7.29 billion and is projected to reach USD 139.19 billion by 2034, showing a strong annual growth rate. This expansion highlights the transformative impact of AI agents across many sectors. Businesses are increasingly seeking solutions that streamline operations and boost efficiency, making AI agents essential tools. The combination of new technology and the need for better productivity is driving this remarkable market growth.