Tech Investment (% of GDP)
Private fixed investment in information processing equipment plus software, divided by nominal GDP, quarterly at seasonally adjusted annual rates. Information processing equipment covers computers and peripherals (servers included), communication equipment, medical and nonmedical instruments, and office equipment; software covers prepackaged, custom and own-account software. It is the closest official and timely measure of the AI and data-center spending boom, published with every GDP estimate.
Tech investment (% of GDP)
- Equipment (% of GDP)
- 2.57%
- Software (% of GDP)
- 2.49%
Next release: Oct 29, 2026
Latest reading
As of Q2 2026, private investment in information processing equipment and software equals 5.05% of GDP, a record high in the series since 1959. The prior reading was 4.97%. The series records the dot-com investment wave and its collapse, so the current reading can be placed against that peak directly. Three caveats. Data-center buildings are counted in structures and are outside this series, though the servers and networking gear inside them are in it. Imported equipment counts here and is subtracted again in net exports, so a rising share overstates what it adds to GDP growth. And the equipment category includes medical instruments, which have nothing to do with AI. The computers and peripherals view isolates the hardware closest to the build-out. Series history runs from 1959 to present.
Sources, methodology & freshnessBEA via FRED: information processing equipment (Y034RC1Q027SBEA) + software (B985RC1Q027SBEA) ÷ GDP; computers and peripherals (B935RC1Q027SBEA); quarterly, SAAR · Quarterly, with every releaseData as of 2026-04-01 · Open ↓Close ↑
Full history
Total and its two parts
Computers & peripherals
Private investment in computers and peripheral equipment as a share of GDP, the part of information processing equipment that holds servers. It is the line to watch for data-center hardware.
Methodology & data
Tech Investment is computed by thetrading.tools from BEA data (BEA via FRED: information processing equipment (Y034RC1Q027SBEA) + software (B985RC1Q027SBEA) ÷ GDP; computers and peripherals (B935RC1Q027SBEA); quarterly, SAAR). We pull the complete history, chart it on a quarterly basis, overlay SPY for context, and generate a dated plain-English reading from the latest release — with no smoothing or adjustment beyond what the chart legend states.
Every reading is stamped with its release date. Latest observation 2026-04-01; site refreshed 2026-10-03. Maintained and reviewed by Yuriy Matso; see our methodology for the standards every series on the site is held to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Tech Investment (% of GDP)?
Private fixed investment in information processing equipment plus software, divided by nominal GDP, quarterly at seasonally adjusted annual rates. Information processing equipment covers computers and peripherals (servers included), communication equipment, medical and nonmedical instruments, and office equipment; software covers prepackaged, custom and own-account software. It is the closest official and timely measure of the AI and data-center spending boom, published with every GDP estimate.
How do you read Tech Investment?
The series records the dot-com investment wave and its collapse, so the current reading can be placed against that peak directly. Three caveats. Data-center buildings are counted in structures and are outside this series, though the servers and networking gear inside them are in it. Imported equipment counts here and is subtracted again in net exports, so a rising share overstates what it adds to GDP growth. And the equipment category includes medical instruments, which have nothing to do with AI. The computers and peripherals view isolates the hardware closest to the build-out.
Where does the Tech Investment data come from?
BEA via FRED: information processing equipment (Y034RC1Q027SBEA) + software (B985RC1Q027SBEA) ÷ GDP; computers and peripherals (B935RC1Q027SBEA); quarterly, SAAR. We chart the full history and publish a dated, plain-English reading with every release; the raw series is downloadable as CSV at /data/indicators/tech-investment.csv.
How often is Tech Investment updated?
Tech Investment is a quarterly series from BEA, refreshed here as soon as a new release posts to FRED.
Tech investment (% of GDP)
- Equipment (% of GDP)
- 2.57%
- Software (% of GDP)
- 2.49%
Next release: Oct 29, 2026