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Transformative impact of AI on technology and the economy

Artificial intelligence (AI) is regarded as the most significant productivity boost since electricity, with AI chips projected to grow from US$45 billion in 2023 to US$500 billion by 20281. This growth could lead AI to surpass the historical impact of electricity on global GDP.

  1. 2025 Tech Tour
  2. AI vs Dotcom Bubble
  3. Market Outlook
  4. Podcasts
  5. Insights

2025 Tech Tour: AI Forever

This year's annual Tech Tour saw our team of portfolio managers and analysts meet with the CEOs of the world's leading and emerging technology firms in Silicon Valley, including Tesla, ServiceNow, Broadcom, TSMC, Atlassian, Meta, Google, Crowdstrike, AMD, and Coinbase to name a few. Portfolio managers Dom Rizzo and Tony Wang, and portfolio specialist Jennifer Martin, reveal the highlights from their time on the road.

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Headshots of Dom Rizzo, Tony Wang and Jennifer Martin
 

Key takeaways

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    So almost all of our GDP growth really needs to come from productivity. And if you go study electricity, what did the electricity do to global productivity? It added roughly 1% a year to the global GDP statistics for 32 years. I think AI is going to beat that handily. I mean, 1% a year for 32 years I actually think is a low bar for what AI can do. And why is that? It's because AI is a one-to-many technology, right? It leverages our capabilities.

    The area that we're seeing it most right now is in digital semis, right? Where is this showing up in the stocks and the revenue? It's in digital semis. And why is that? It’s because the compute processing of AI—we've talked so much about it being so high and the compute intensity being so high.

    AI sparks a new era of unmatched productivity

    (Video duration: 59 seconds)

    AI is poised to outshine electricity's historical productivity boost, potentially surpassing a 1% annual GDP increase over 32 years2. As a one-to-many technology, AI is revolutionising digital semiconductors, promising unprecedented economic growth.

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      Dominic Rizzo:

      Look, I always take a step back with technology. I say, OK, where are we with valuations? The global technology universe is trading at roughly 25 times earnings today. Historically, that will peak at 26 to 28 times earnings. So we're at that upper end of the range, but we're not nearly at the extreme levels that we saw during the ’90s, where you would see over 30 times earnings. And you know, I have the saying internally: You know, AI has the potential to be the biggest productivity enhancer for the global economy since electricity. Productivity-enhancing technologies are usually accompanied by speculative bubbles.

      Our job is to navigate speculative bubbles responsibly through an investment framework. I don't see a speculative bubble today. I see names that are at the higher end of historical ranges, but not absurdly expensive. When I look at demand drivers, software, we talked about agentic AI. When I look at semis, core auto industrial potentially bottoming, smartphone, PC potentially bottoming, accompanied by the strength of AI chip spend, internet getting very high ROI on this capex. You put it all together, and I actually think it’s a really nice outlook for technology for 2025.

      Anthony Wang:

      Yeah, I agree. I think that, you know, a lot of strength has been really driven by earnings growth and not valuation. So that's, you know, the “Mag Seven” looks reasonable to me. And then, I think that you've got the kind of bouncy compounders continuing to look good and grow. If we get a better accelerated economy, that should be a tailwind. As well as the stuff the Accenture’s, that IT services have been really kind of depressed because of weak economic data. As well as broad-based semis, that should also be good.

      So, I'm optimistic. I know we're going on year three of a really strong tech rebound, but I think just given everything that's happening in AI, I do think that can prolong this cycle.

      Tech's bright horizon as AI shapes 2025 growth

      (Video duration: 2 minutes 11 seconds)

      Tech valuations hover near historical peaks, yet remain below '90s extremes. AI emerges as a transformative force, akin to electricity, driving productivity without speculative bubbles. With robust earnings growth and AI advancements, what’s the outlook for tech in 2025?

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        We had a robust discussion on crypto.

        And the first negative I always hear with crypto is it's used for illicit or negative activities. And I would say:

        Number 1: The number one currency for illicit activities is the U.S. dollar today, and

        Number 2: The dollar doesn't have a blockchain, which you could follow every single transaction. So actually, I think crypto is more secure over time rather than less. 

        The next thing I hear is that the government won't support crypto because it means the end of dollar dominance. I think that is actually completely opposite of the truth. I think that that's totally wrong. I think that crypto will accelerate the dominance of the dollar over time. And there's really two reasons. 

        One, we have all of these new assets in the world that are primarily priced in dollars. So look at Bitcoin, primarily priced in dollars. I think it's one of the top 10 largest assets in the world today. It's effectively like adding a whole other gold or new oil commodity base that is primarily priced in dollars around the world. 

        Second, I think the big use case for crypto overtime is stablecoins. And what is a stablecoin? 

        My name is Dominic Rizzo. I'm Italian American obviously, and I carry a lot of cash in my pocket. It literally burns a hole in my pocket every day because I'm not getting my 4% interest that I could be getting in the bag. With the U.S. dollar stablecoin, if I could just pay with the U.S. dollar stablecoin every day, I would be able to collect my 4% interest and pay. So I'd get all the benefits of cash, but I'd be able to be collecting interest along the way.

        It's effectively like a money market fund that you can spend. And today, stablecoins are the eighth-largest buyer of U.S. Treasuries in the world. Think about that: the eighth-largest buyer of U.S. Treasuries of the world. The new secretary of commerce, former CEO—the CEO of Canner. Canner does all the custodialization for Tether, which is one of the two big stablecoins in the world. 

        So, I think we're going to see an explosion in stablecoin demand, and that's going to really all benefit the crypto ecosystem.

        And the third benefit of crypto is just speed and low cost of transaction. Five years ago, you didn't have the benefits of something like Base, which is a layer 2 on Ethereum, or something like a Solana that sped up the transaction cost and bought them down dramatically. And now we bought basically internet scale speed to money. 

        And so I think that's why crypto should do really well over time.

        Stablecoins paving the way for dollar's crypto reign

        (Video duration: 2 minutes 49 seconds)

        Stablecoins could bolster the US dollar's dominance in crypto, with assets like Bitcoin priced in dollars. As crypto evolves, stablecoins and blockchain technology promise to enhance transaction speed and cost, reinforcing the dollar's global influence.

         

        About the 2025 Tech Tour

        More than

        40

        T. Rowe Price portfolio managers & analysts

        Met with

        ~40

        Public and private tech companies

        Generating

        300+

        Actionable investment insights

        Why the rise of AI is not like the Dotcom Bubble

         

        Earnings versus speculation

        Unlike the dotcom bubble, this AI cycle has been driven by a surge in earnings rather than speculation

         

        Sustainable funding

        Nvidia’s sevenfold share price increase was almost entirely driven by earnings growth estimates rather than market sentiment alone

         

        Funding source

        AI growth driven by selling linchpin AI technology to cash flow generative companies versus the dotcom bubble primarily being debt-funded

        Read the Full Article

        Market Outlook: AI’s “easy money” era is over, but an abundance of opportunities remain

        • Identify key linchpin companies innovating in growth markets with improving fundamentals (revenues, margins, cash flows) and reasonable valuations.
        • Consider the semiconductor industry for AI applications and improvements in chip design and manufacturing processes.
        • Focus on software and fintech sectors where AI advancements benefit data infrastructure, vertical applications, cybersecurity, and personalized banking.
           

        AI market risk and considerations
         

        1. Macroeconomic uncertainty

        Inflation remains a potential headwind, particularly in light of potential policy changes under a Trump administration that may favor pro-growth strategies but which risk increased inflationary pressures.

        2. Company valuations

        While not considered to be at bubble levels, current valuations, hovering around 25-26 times forward earnings, warrant some caution. Close scrutiny of earnings estimates and a focus on improving fundamental business performance are crucial.

        Funds with AI exposure

        Our approach to investing is truly global. With one of the most extensive and experienced buy-side global research engines in the industry, our investment teams discover investment opportunities you can be confident in.

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        1 AMD Q3 2024 earnings call, October 2024 

        2 T. Rowe Price Internal Estimates, November 2024

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