As artificial intelligence evolves beyond basic responses, new trends are emerging in the tech ecosystem. Morgan Stanley has indicated that the rise of more autonomous AI systems could significantly increase demand for central processing units (CPUs) and reshape how data centres are built.
In a note released on Sunday, the brokerage said, “As AI transitions from generation to autonomous action, the computing bottleneck is shifting towards CPU and memory, driving a step-change in general-purpose compute intensity.” It also noted that demand for graphic processing units (GPUs) continues to remain strong.
Morgan Stanley estimates that agentic AI could add $32.5–60 billion to the data-centre CPU market, which is already expected to exceed $100 billion by 2030.
Agentic AI refers to systems capable of planning tasks and taking actions independently, rather than just responding to prompts. According to the report, the next phase of AI growth will rely more on coordination between systems rather than only on raw computing power.
The brokerage highlighted that CPUs are increasingly becoming the control layer for AI systems managing multi-step processes. At the same time, demand for memory is expected to rise sharply, expanding AI-related investments beyond GPUs to include chipmakers, memory suppliers, and manufacturing companies.
It added that companies operating in supply-constrained segments of the ecosystem could gain stronger pricing power.
Morgan Stanley identified several potential beneficiaries of this shift, including Nvidia, AMD, Intel, and Arm in CPUs and accelerators; Micron, Samsung, and SK hynix in memory; and TSMC and ASML in chip manufacturing and equipment.
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