đ¤đThe rise of AI has redefined Europeâs industrial heavyweights. Companies once seen as infrastructure dinosaursâSiemens, ABB, Schneider Electric, Legrandâare now vital players in the global race to build data center infrastructure powering models like ChatGPT.
Since ChatGPTâs release in late 2022, these firms have collectively added over âŹ151 billion in market cap. Siemens alone surged more than 60%. Why? Their core offeringsâpower systems, cooling units, racks, switchgearâare no longer niche: theyâre foundational for AIâs physical footprint.
AI isnât just code. It needs electricity, cooling, spatial redundancy, and localized energy control. As nearly every tech firm globally ramps up data center development, the industrial layer has become the new alpha zone for investors.
Schneider Electric is aggressively competing with US-based Vertiv, carving global market share in energy optimization and smart distribution. ABB is leveraging its automation legacy to digitize physical infrastructure. Legrand, often overlooked, is scaling in edge deployments and modular systems. Siemens, meanwhile, is building full-stack smart facilities integrated into European energy grids.
Capex for data centers is forecast to balloon from $600B in 2025 to over $1 trillion by 2028, according to DellâOro Group. Europeâs ESG commitments and grid limitations make local engineering partners indispensableâand these four firms are at the heart of it.
Yet questions remain. Can EU suppliers keep up with hyperscaler demand? Will geopolitical shifts favor US or Chinese manufacturers in the long term? How defensible is the lead in design when capital moves fast?
Is Europeâs industrial backbone quietly becoming the new infrastructure kingmaker of the AI age?#AMAGE