Artificial intelligence is often discussed through the lens of models, chatbots, and applications, but that framing misses the scale of what is really underway. AI is becoming critical infrastructure, supported by a massive build-out across energy, chips, computing infrastructure, models, and applications.
As AI demand accelerates, policymakers, investors, and enterprise leaders need a clearer framework for understanding where value is created, where bottlenecks are emerging, and how countries and companies should plan for the next phase of the AI economy. The decisions being made now will shape energy strategy, semiconductor access, workforce development, capital allocation, and national competitiveness.
In our latest Market Brief, Five Layers of the AI Cake: A Framework for Policymakers, Investors, and Enterprise Leaders Navigating the AI Build-Out, completed in partnership with NVIDIA, Futurum Research examines AI as a five-layer infrastructure stack, first described by NVIDIA Founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, at at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, and explores the economic, workforce, and strategic implications of the global AI build-out.
In this brief, you will learn:
- Why AI should be understood as infrastructure, not just software
- How the five-layer framework connects energy, chips, computing infrastructure, models, and applications
- Where the most important bottlenecks are emerging across the AI stack
- Why AI infrastructure is reshaping workforce demand across trades, engineering, software, and advanced research
- What countries and enterprises should consider as they decide where to participate, where to invest, and where they may become dependent
If you are interested in learning more, be sure to download your copy of Five Layers of the AI Cake today.
Author Information
Nick Patience is VP and Practice Lead for AI Platforms at The Futurum Group. Nick is a thought leader on AI development, deployment, and adoption - an area he has researched for 25 years. Before Futurum, Nick was a Managing Analyst with S&P Global Market Intelligence, responsible for 451 Research’s coverage of Data, AI, Analytics, Information Security, and Risk. Nick became part of S&P Global through its 2019 acquisition of 451 Research, a pioneering analyst firm that Nick co-founded in 1999. He is a sought-after speaker and advisor, known for his expertise in the drivers of AI adoption, industry use cases, and the infrastructure behind its development and deployment. Nick also spent three years as a product marketing lead at Recommind (now part of OpenText), a machine learning-driven eDiscovery software company. Nick is based in London.
Daniel is the CEO of The Futurum Group. Living his life at the intersection of people and technology, Daniel works with the world’s largest technology brands exploring Digital Transformation and how it is influencing the enterprise.
From the leading edge of AI to global technology policy, Daniel makes the connections between business, people and tech that are required for companies to benefit most from their technology investments. Daniel is a top 5 globally ranked industry analyst and his ideas are regularly cited or shared in television appearances by CNBC, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and hundreds of other sites around the world.
A 7x Best-Selling Author including his most recent book “Human/Machine.” Daniel is also a Forbes and MarketWatch (Dow Jones) contributor.
An MBA and Former Graduate Adjunct Faculty, Daniel is an Austin Texas transplant after 40 years in Chicago. His speaking takes him around the world each year as he shares his vision of the role technology will play in our future.
