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Global network traffic and AI growth projections

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2026-11-10 19:22 UTC → 2026-11-11 00:01 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Reports from Nokia and Bell Labs Consulting forecast a massive surge in global network traffic through the next decade. Projections suggest traffic could increase between three and seven times by 2034, depending on whether growth follows conservative, moderate, or aggressive scenarios. Artificial Intelligence is identified as a primary driver of this demand, with estimates suggesting AI could account for approximately 44% of global network traffic by 2035. The rise of agentic AI and physical AI, such as robots and autonomous vehicles, is expected to shift network requirements toward higher uplink capacity and lower latency. Specifically, physical AI applications are forecast to increase network traffic 105-fold, while agentic AI traffic could grow 160-fold. Nokia reports that physical AI applications are projected to generate over 90% of their traffic via the network uplink by 2035. To meet these demands, infrastructure may shift toward a distributed AI grid. While central cloud infrastructure will remain dominant, edge and metro core networks are projected to serve 36% of AI-native traffic by 2035 to address data sovereignty and latency needs. Total monthly network traffic is expected to quadruple from 2026 levels, reaching approximately 3,789 exabytes by 2035. In the retail sector, data from Adobe Digital Insights indicates that AI-driven web traffic is already outperforming traditional channels. In September, AI traffic reportedly generated 83% higher revenue per visit than non-AI sources, with visitors from AI sources spending more time on websites and adding more to their carts.

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