Bob Clark, the billionaire founder of Chicago-based construction giant Clayco, is telling the world there is no AI bubble, and he's putting his money where his mouth is. In a new Forbes profile, Clark insists data centers are "still going to get built" despite angry local opposition, fears about artificial intelligence as an existential threat, and project delays. He's no newcomer to the game either, having built data centers since the 1980s, back when they were little more than a couple of computer rooms tacked onto the back of a bank. According to Forbes, Clayco now has 77 data center projects underway across 13 states.

The numbers behind his confidence are eye-popping, with data center work projected to make up 75% of Clayco's nearly $12 billion in revenue in 2026. Clark's net worth has quadrupled to $7 billion in just three years thanks to the AI infrastructure boom, landing him on the Forbes 400. Yet the public isn't cheering, as resistance to local data centers has climbed to 61% in recent surveys. Of course, Clark profits directly from the building frenzy, so his bullishness isn't a neutral forecast, and earlier business coverage has warned that construction booms can overshoot. The big question now is whether demand for AI will keep pace with the concrete being poured, or whether growing community pushback will start to slow the machine.