Market Outlook: AI buildout drives global trade boom despite tariffs - BNN Bloomberg

Published: October 14, 2026 at 2:45p.m. EDTMatthew Martin, senior U. S. economist at Oxford Economics, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss the company's report on the AI trade boom. The global buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure is reshaping trade flows and the freight networks that support them. Its physical footprint extends beyond chips to the equipment and materials needed to develop data centres. BNN Bloomberg spoke with Matthew Martin, senior U. S. economist at Oxford Economics, about the firm’s report mapping AI-related trade and what cross-border shipments can reveal about the investment cycle. How to set BNN Bloomberg as your preferred source on GoogleKey TakeawaysU. S. AI-related imports are up 60 per cent year over year, compared with about eight per cent for other imports, Martin said. Strong demand is sustaining AI-related trade despite tariffs and higher freight costs, although prolonged trade fragmentation could slow productivity growth. Asia anchors the upstream supply chain, with Taiwan specializing in chip manufacturing and China supplying a broader range of equipment and infrastructure. The U. S.