Mass digitization and electrification are reshaping economies and changing the nature of pressures on critical infrastructure – the provision of power, water, transport and communications.80 Demands on that infrastructure are rising as economies and populations grow, and as new sources of demand emerge. For example, it has been estimated that the power needed by AI data centres in the United States alone could rise 30 times within the next decade.81 Additionally, interdependencies among different areas of critical and ageing infrastructure are a key concern. For example, during a blackout, Infrastructure endangered 2.5 3.69 9% 23% 16% 7% 24% 17% 3% 18% 16% 7% 4% 26% 25% 4% 2 years 10 years Short-term (2 years) and long-term (10 years) risk score severity distribution: Disruptions to critical infrastructureFIGURE 42 Source World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception Survey 2025-2026Overload or shutdown of physical and digital infrastructure (including satellites) or services underpinning critical systems, including the internet, telecommunications, public utilities, ﬁnancial system, or energy. Stemming from, but not limited to: cyberattacks; intentional or unintentional physical damage; extreme weather events; and natural disasters. Note Severity was assessed on a 1-7 Likert scale [1 – Low severity, 7 – High severity]. The percentages in the graphs may not add up to 100% because ﬁgures have been rounded up/down.1 Low High 2 3 4 5 6 7Severity –Ageing critical infrastructure is becoming more prone to failures or accidents, and the scale of financing needed to modernize the sector may be prohibitive amid a fiscal crunch. –More frequent and more intense extreme weather events may overwhelm segments of existing critical infrastructure, contributing to wider social and economic challenges. –Geoeconomic confrontation is likely to amplify existing challenges to critical infrastructure and create new ones in the physical, cyber and cyber-physical realms. Andy Luo, Unsplash Global Risks Report 2026 46