3 Questions: Why infrastructure is entering a defining era

In an interview published by MIT News on Oct. 28, 2026, Ali Jadbabaie, JR East Professor and head of MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, argues that infrastructure faces an unusual convergence of pressures. He points to climate change, resource limits, geopolitical instability and AI's energy demands on aging grids, all arriving at once and quickly. He also notes that the definition of infrastructure has widened to include data centers, semiconductor plants and wireless networks.

Rising demand adds to the strain. Jadbabaie cites models suggesting that by 2028 the median person on Earth will live on $10 a day for the first time, which he expects to drive up need for infrastructure, especially in developing countries. Repeating the resource-heavy approach of the 20th century, he says, would not be possible with the materials available. He sees better sensing, data and AI-assisted design as potentially transformative, while cautioning that the outcome remains undetermined.

He also warns that tighter links between systems raise efficiency but increase systemic risk, making failures rarer yet far more consequential. Long timelines, heavy capital needs and thin margins have historically kept the industry conservative, he adds.

His proposed response is collaboration through the World Infrastructure Forum, co-founded by his department, the World Bank Group, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and the University of Texas at Austin. The forum, meeting in Madrid on Oct. 28, has five working groups and an advisory group of more than 30 leaders from sectors including construction, materials and finance.