Investment banks on Wall Street are reporting a surge in dealmaking and financing tied to companies funding AI infrastructure, creating significant fee income from capital raising and lending activities. Major transactions cited by bank executives include SK Hynix's $26.5 billion American depositary receipt offering and SpaceX's record $86 billion initial public offering, alongside heightened debt issuance activity.
Bank leaders say the uptick is not a short-term phenomenon. "The build-out of AI infrastructure remains in its early stages, and we believe this multi-year investment cycle will continue to drive elevated levels of strategic activity, financing, and capital formation across markets," said Goldman Sachs Chief Executive David Solomon on an earnings call. Solomon added that the industry "is in the middle of an AI capex super cycle" and that demand exists for a full range of financing instruments.
Goldman Sachs served as the lead left underwriter on the SpaceX IPO and is expected to play a prominent role, together with Morgan Stanley, in the upcoming listing of Anthropic as investors seek ways to participate in the AI expansion. Rival OpenAI has also filed for a U.S. initial public offering.
Despite strong activity around AI-related capital markets, July has been a difficult month for technology equities, and microchip makers in particular have seen pressure as investors confront lofty valuations and question the durability of the AI capex surge.
Executives at other banks highlight similar themes. Citi Chief Executive Jane Fraser told investors on the firm's conference call that AI was "dominating a lot of the conversation," and that spending tied to technology, data centers, energy and defense was accelerating.
Bank of America recently extended a $520 million credit line to OpenAI, marking the bank's first loan to the AI company. Bank of America Chief Executive Brian Moynihan said on a conference call that "Overall, the U.S. economy has proved more durable than expected, supported by the strong consumer, ongoing AI-driven investments across the board and easing energy costs, though inflation and tighter monetary policy remain key risks."
Bank of America has played a major role in raising capital for AI-related enterprises since 2025. Internal data cited by the bank indicate it has helped raise nearly $500 billion for AI-focused companies over that span, representing about 60% of fundraising across investment-grade debt, leveraged finance and equity capital markets.
Industry analysts see the AI-driven spending cycle lifting multiple financing channels. "The AI-driven capex super cycle has benefited equity issuance, M&A activity and debt financing," said Stephen Biggar, director of financial services research at Argus Research.
Larger commercial banks also report tangible financing and lending demand connected to AI infrastructure. JPMorgan Chase has been active in fundraising for AI-related companies and is financing data centers. Media reports indicate Meta Platforms is working with Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase on roughly $13 billion in financing for a data center in El Paso, Texas.
JPMorgan Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Barnum noted that capital expenditure and loan demand is also visible from companies that may not be directly tied to AI but have indirect connections. "It’s like the comments about data centers wind up creating a lot of demand for plumbers and electricians, so you wind up seeing it in sort of slightly non-obvious places," he said, adding that it was difficult to definitively say whether such demand was AI-related.
Citigroup, which acted as a joint global coordinator on the SK Hynix offering, reported earning in excess of $70 million from that transaction. Banks across the industry say they are capturing fee opportunities from both high-profile equity deals and accompanying debt issuance as companies secure capital to build AI capacity.
While bankers and analysts describe a prolonged phase of investment and market activity driven by AI infrastructure needs, the recent softness in some tech segments underscores uncertainty around how sustained the spending cycle will be and how markets will price the sector's prospects over time.