The AI investment boom is spreading beyond the United States as countries expand data centers and related infrastructure, IMF (International Monetary Fund) President Georgieva said, turning AI from a primarily U.S. phenomenon into a potential global economic growth engine. The global economy has also faced an energy shock from the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but has performed better than previously expected. Lower energy demand, releases from emergency oil and gas reserves, increased supplies from outside the Gulf, and stronger renewable-energy and coal supplies have helped cushion the disruption. Georgieva described the global economy as caught in a tug-of-war between the AI boom and the economic effects of the war. While AI investment remains concentrated in the United States, countries involved in the AI hardware supply chain and exporting related products are also benefiting. She warned that the energy shock is not over: further declines in oil and gas reserves, combined with the approach of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, could send oil prices higher, rekindle inflation and force central banks worldwide to raise interest rates, increasing government financing costs and weighing on economic growth.