Citigroup Inc. has formed a group focused on the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom comprised of leaders from its investment banking and corporate banking teams.
The AI Infrastructure Banking team will include investment bankers Ric Spencer, vice chair of technology, and Ashish Agrawal, the co-head of real estate, according to a memo reviewed by Bloomberg News. Alex Watkins, who runs technology financing, head of technology corporate banking Doug Baird and digital infrastructure M&A banker Ben Mortimer will also be part of the effort, according to the memo. A Citigroup spokeswoman confirmed the contents of the memo.
Spencer, Agrawal, Watkins, Baird and Mortimer will retain their existing titles. But because AI infrastructure touches so many teams — from technology to communications, energy, real estate, crypto and financing — they’ll work to “break silos and evaluate all pockets of capital available” for AI infrastructure projects, according to the memo to staff from the leaders of Citigroup’s investment banking, financing and corporate banking groups.
The goal is to help Citigroup win more business advising and lending to the cross-section of investors and companies that are leading the capital-intensive AI build-out.
Citi estimates that $3 trillion of capital will be needed by 2030 to fund the build out of data centers, computing and other AI infrastructure as use of AI technology grows.
“During this build out period, debt financing will need a combination of bank debt, private credit, infrastructure and real estate financing and structured IG debt,” they wrote.






