The Projection

The forecast centers on the surge in AI-related infrastructure buildout, with data center expenditure expected to cross the $1 trillion mark in 2026. The projection is attributed to BofA, whose full report could not be directly reviewed: attempts to access the source were blocked, returning a 403 error.

Naver's news API was also unavailable for supplementary sourcing due to a missing authentication key, limiting the range of independently retrievable reporting on the forecast.

What Remains Unconfirmed

While the $1 trillion figure stands as the core claim, the underlying details of BofA's analysis — including methodology, regional breakdowns, or the split between hyperscaler capex and other spending categories — remain unverified. The projection should accordingly be treated as a single-source forecast pending broader confirmation.

For Korea's semiconductor and hardware sectors, including suppliers such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, sustained trillion-dollar data center investment would carry significant implications for demand in memory, HBM and related AI hardware — though no specific impact estimates are included in the available material.

The claim that AI infrastructure investment is expected to push data center spending past $1 trillion in 2026 is largely accurate, with the caveat that the primary source could not be fully accessed and the figure rests on one institution's outlook — making the overall assessment Mostly True.