BlackRock CEO Larry Fink warns data center delays could raise costs and inflation

Larry Fink has a new warning about the AI boom. The BlackRock CEO says the real risk is not building too many data centers, but building them too slowly. In a Bloomberg interview on October 21, 2026, Fink argued that delays in data center construction could drive up the cost of computing power and fuel inflation as demand from artificial intelligence keeps climbing. Fink’s case for speed Fink stressed that a quicker buildout is crucial for expanding available compute. More capacity, in his view, is what eventually brings costs down. The inflation link is the notable part. Compute is increasingly an input for businesses across the economy, not just for tech firms. When an input gets pricier, those costs tend to spread outward. A week earlier, on October 14, 2026, Fink told CNBC that a potential moratorium on data center construction could push the US into a recession. His reasoning there centered on capital expenditures. Spending on AI infrastructure has become a meaningful driver of US economic activity, and Fink suggested that pulling it back could have serious consequences. He also took aim at critics. Fink characterized much of the public opposition to data centers as “misinform...