U.S. business investment in computers and peripheral equipment climbed to a record $420.1 billion annualized rate in Q2 2026, extending the surge in computing infrastructure associated with the AI buildout. * Hardware investment: The BEA measure rose $20.5B from Q1, or about 5.1%, and was nearly 60% above Q2 2025; it captures spending on computing hardware such as servers, storage systems, PCs and related equipment. * Broader buildout: Total information-processing equipment reached $836.4B, while information-processing equipment and software rose to $1.646T at an annualized rate. * AI proxy: The computer-equipment series is a useful gauge of AI infrastructure demand but is not exclusively AI spending; data-center construction, communications equipment, software and R&D are captured elsewhere. * GDP impact: BEA said investment helped drive Q2 growth, with information-processing equipment among the areas contributing to the increase. 05-OCT-2026 06:21 PM ET