Bain stated that by 2031, the global artificial intelligence industry will need to generate $6 trillion in annual revenue to justify the funds invested in building data centers around the world.

The consulting firm pointed out in its annual global technology report on Tuesday that existing AI services for consumers and businesses could generate up to $1.8 trillion in revenue, which means $4.2 trillion in new revenue still needs to be created.

The report said this gap could come from emerging areas such as autonomous machines, robotics, and new fields including drug discovery, mental health, and energy production.

"The AI industry needs an innovation wave far beyond the changes brought by mobile and cloud computing," said David Crawford, the report's lead author and Bain's global chairman of technology, media, and telecommunications. "The construction of AI infrastructure is far ahead of market demand, and providing sustainable funding for it requires increasing global GDP annual growth by about 1%."

Bain's report highlights the resistance facing the sustainability of AI's current research and development pace.

Bain said that while current discussions mainly focus on employee productivity, the economic benefits of AI infrastructure will require trillions of dollars in new revenue, not just productivity improvements.

The consulting firm predicts that by 2030, data center spending will reach $5 trillion to $6.5 trillion, adding at least 150 gigawatts of computing capacity, which will further intensify pressure on countries' energy resources.

The company also said that by 2031, annual spending on AI infrastructure could reach as high as $1.5 trillion.