Alger's Ankur Crawford: Demand for Compute is Insatiable

Alger’s Ankur Crawford highlighted an "insatiable" global demand for AI compute power in March 2026, driven by accelerating adoption of generative AI and large-scale model training. She emphasized compute infrastructure as a critical bottleneck, with data centers and chipmakers struggling to meet surging needs despite heavy investment in semiconductor and quantum-adjacent technologies. Crawford noted gold’s resilience amid market volatility, citing its dual role as a safe-haven asset and hedge against inflation during economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. Markets were described as "directionless" and "choppy," reflecting mixed signals from monetary policy, uneven tech sector growth, and shifting investor sentiment toward high-risk assets. The interview underscored AI’s dominance in shaping capital flows, with compute demand outpacing supply and redefining long-term investment strategies in hardware and energy sectors.