Data centre roll-out to see US$3.2 trillion flow to construction sector: PwC

LONDON, 6 November 2026 – Data centre construction linked to the AI infrastructure roll-out is expected to see US$3.2 trillion flow to the construction sector through to 2050, according to PwC’s 2026 Global Engineering and Construction Sector Outlook, launched today.

The survey, which captured the views of 377 engineering and construction (E&C) executives worldwide, finds that the share expecting to earn revenue from data centre work also rises by about 20% over the next five years, the largest relative increase of any asset class.

This comes as E&C executives expect data centres' share of total revenue to expand by an average of 26% over the next five years.

E&C executives are also expecting more work in the asset classes that support data centre expansion. Power, utilities, and grid infrastructure – already well established in E&C portfolios – sees its mean revenue share rise by around 11% in the next five years. Other significant growth pockets include renewable energy, storage, hydrogen, and carbon capture (increasing its revenue share by 26%) and advanced manufacturing (rising by 24%).

This comes as many E&C companies reduce or exit residential, commercial and institutional building construction (42% cite exiting or reducing exposure to this category) – while more than half (51%) expect to grow or enter into other types of infrastructure projects, such as those in transportation and energy.

Nearly all (91%) expect their firm’s share of revenue from specific asset classes and end markets to change by a least five percentage points, making portfolio change nearly universal across the sector. About a third (29%) anticipate shifts of 20 percentage points or more.

Geographic growth driven by the GCC

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is already the sector’s dominant geographic growth pool, and its lead is expected to widen. The share of E&C executives ranking the region among their company’s biggest revenue opportunities rises from 38% today to 47% over the next five years, substantially outpacing other regions. This comes as annual infrastructure spending across the GCC is projected to rise 75%, from US$200 billion in 2024 to US$349 billion in 2050.

South and Southeast Asia are gaining ground as well (from 23% to 27%, and 22% to 27% respectively). Asia Pacific as a whole remains the world’s largest infrastructure investment region, accounting for more than half of projected investment throughout 2050. Annual spending there is expected to climb from US$2.3 trillion in 2024 to US$3.6 trillion by 2050.

Meanwhile, the US holds steady over the next five years (at 33%), while Western Europe declines slightly, with 23% expecting the region to represent a significant market in 2031, versus 27% today.

Speed is core to the roll-out as AI deployment to rise across value chain

Asked to identify the attributes that will matter most to customers over the next five years, more than two-fifths (43%) cite speed – ahead of schedule and budget certainty (40%).

But while speed is critical – around half point to supply-chain and long-lead equipment issues or difficulty securing delivery capacity.

Technology will also become increasingly core to the roll-out. The median share of respondents using AI and advanced technology across the value chain to a large or very large extent is expected to rise from 52% today to 69% within five years. Among ‘future-fit’ firms – the top 20% of respondents in PwC’s research – that figure rises from 62% to 81%.

AI is also high on the sector’s technology agenda – but this is primarily to augment knowledge intensive work, rather than automate engineering and construction activities. Half rank AI for design, engineering, estimating, and bidding among the three technologies most important to achieving their strategic goals over the next five years.

But as technology becomes increasingly important – roughly two-thirds cite talent shortages and skills gaps as barriers to growth.

Future-proofing E&C with integrated infrastructure programmes

As the sector looks to capitalise on new growth opportunities – more than half (52%) rank expanding into integrated infrastructure programmes that combine multiple asset systems (for example, the combination of energy, data centre, and water systems) among their three most important actions for capturing growth over the next five years.

At the same time, more than two-fifths (44%) rank expansion into lifecycle services among their three most important actions for capturing growth – putting it level with expanding into new customer segments (44%) and behind only pursuing infrastructure programmes (52%).

The ambition runs stronger among ‘future-fit’ firms: they’re 20% more likely than the sector overall to prioritise expanding into lifecycle services.

But the survey exposes a tension between that ambition and where investment is growing fastest. Only 12% of respondents name asset operations, maintenance, and lifecycle services among the three parts of their value chain expected to see the largest percentage increase in investment over the next five years.

The scale of investment ahead means most E&C firms will have more opportunities than capacity to pursue them. Four choices deserve particular attention:

• Chose the control points where you intend to earn an advantage: Identify the few interfaces where superior performance would materially affect the economics or outcome of the work— such as those around long-lead equipment, interconnection, systems commissioning, programme controls, and asset-data handover—and concentrate capability and investment there.
• Turn build versus access into an enterprise portfolio decision: Most firms are doing both. The harder question is which capabilities must remain proprietary because they underpin differentiation, pricing power, or control of risk, and which can be licensed, partnered for, or acquired.
• Fund the connective layer: Look for the boundaries where projects repeatedly lose time, information, or clear accountability; those friction points are often the best indication of where connective investment is needed.
• Set margin and risk thresholds before an attractive pipeline tests them: Decide in advance what return is required for the exposure being assumed, which risks the firm will retain, which should be shared, and which should disqualify a pursuit.

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Notes to Editors

About PwC’s Global Engineering and Construction Sector Outlook 2026

PwC’s Global Engineering and Construction Sector Outlook 2026 gathered responses from 377 senior executives—all director‑level or above—from private and publicly listed companies. Respondents spanned engineering, construction, and integrated firms in North America, Western Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Fieldwork was conducted from June to August 2026.