Re: Too early...
"I'll be glad when the world outside El Reg realizes stochastic cow manure generators aren't profitable, or even useful"
No, but the way governments measure growth means that business investment (no matter how foolhardy) contributes directly to economic growth.
GDP = Business investment + consumer spending + government spending + net exports
So all this AI and DC spending (plus the energy sector investments to support it) directly bolster GDP growth. Obviously that's bollocks: Using just two examples, in current prices, HS2 and Hinkley Point C have together contributed about £160bn to UK GDP, hands up who feels £260 better off from these two as-yet unproductive assets? But in terms of what governments measure and tell us, it's a simple reality that simply spending money, even if borrowed and lacking a valid business case still boosts GDP.