Global AI Sales Top $25 Billion in Q1, Beating $21 Billion Depreciation Costs
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 26
Global AI Sales Top $25 Billion in Q1, Beating $21 Billion Depreciation Costs
3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 26
Summary
$25 billion in global AI sales excluding China in Q1 2026 exceeded the industry’s estimated $21 billion in data-center and chip depreciation costs, marking a second straight quarter above that threshold.
Exponential View said the crossover suggests the tech sector’s vast AI buildout may be economically sustainable, because revenue is starting to cover the capital costs tied to the spending boom.
Margins remain thin: depreciation still absorbs more than two-thirds of AI revenue, leaving only a narrow cushion for power, labor and financing expenses.
The result points to a tipping point for an industry that has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure and is still testing whether that investment can generate durable returns.