ADB urges more investment in science, energy and AI infrastructure across Asia and the Pacific

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ADB urges investment in Asia tech

Highlights

Asian Development Bank urges increased investment in scientific research, large-scale energy infrastructure, and AI to drive long-term growth across Asia and the Pacific.
Despite solar and wind costs falling 80%-90% over the past decade, regional power grids face new pressure from surging electricity demand, driven partly by AI and digitalization.
ADB's support for critical minerals value chains, Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative, and Asia-Pacific Digital Highway aims to strengthen clean energy supply and AI-ready digital connectivity across the region.

Kyoto forum sets out investment priorities

As stated by the Asian Development Bank, Kanda makes the case at the Science and Technology in Society Forum in Kyoto for stronger funding for scientific research and the infrastructure needed to translate discoveries into practical benefits for people. He says governments and institutions should back both curiosity-driven research and large-scale systems such as power grids and digital networks to support long-term growth.

Kanda says science and technology can help societies respond to rising energy demand, rapid technological change, resource competition and geopolitical uncertainty. He also calls for ambition to turn frontier science and AI into human progress, while warning that fast-advancing AI poses existential risks if it is not kept under strong human control.

Energy, minerals and connectivity shape regional impact

Electricity demand is surging across Asia and the Pacific, partly because of advanced computing and data centers for AI, increasing strain on existing energy systems. Although technological advances cut solar and wind generation costs by 80% to 90% over the past decade, bottlenecks remain in critical minerals, transmission networks and storage.

ADB says it is supporting critical minerals value chains covering exploration, processing, manufacturing, recycling and circularity. Its Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative finances regional power systems and cross-border connections to move electricity from resource-rich areas to major demand centers, while the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway is designed to expand AI-ready connectivity and skills.

Reliable clean electricity and digital connectivity can widen access to economic opportunity, particularly for remote communities and people with disabilities. Kanda also says scientific institutions need to build public trust by engaging openly with society and demonstrating integrity, as transformative discoveries often begin with fundamental research whose commercial uses are not immediately clear.

In our earlier article on SoftBank’s AI infrastructure push, we covered how the group aimed to use its $4 billion acquisition of DigitalBridge to raise third-party capital for data centers, power and other assets tied to AI expansion. We also noted the key risks flagged by DigitalBridge’s CEO, including tighter financing, cooling data-center valuations, and permitting and zoning resistance that could prevent a large share of planned projects from being built.

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