Mirian Gom 
GENEVA – AI investment is driving global spending on software, research, data and other intangible assets to a record $10 trillion in 2025, according to a new report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The report says investments in research and development, software, databases, brands, design and organisational knowledge continue to outpace spending on physical assets, reflecting a structural shift in the global economy.
Published jointly by WIPO and Luiss Business School, the study covers 29 economies representing 57 per cent of global gross domestic product.
According to the report, intangible investment has grown by an average of 3.5 per cent annually since 2008, compared with just 0.98 per cent for tangible assets.
“These figures point to a durable structural shift in the composition of investment, with intangible assets playing a growing role in value creation,” WIPO says.
The United States remains the world’s largest investor in intangible assets, spending nearly $5 trillion in 2025—around six times Japan’s investment, with Germany ranking third.
Sweden retains its position as the world’s most intangible-intensive economy, with investments equivalent to 17.4 per cent of GDP, ahead of the United States and France.
The report identifies India, Japan and the Philippines as the fastest-growing economies for intangible investment.
According to WIPO, artificial intelligence is accelerating demand for software, data, research and organisational innovation, even though early AI development also requires heavy investment in physical infrastructure such as data centres and semiconductors.
Software and database investments record the fastest growth among intangible assets, expanding by 7.3 per cent annually between 2013 and 2023.
The report also highlights the growing commercial importance of brands, with global brand investment across the surveyed economies reaching $1.4 trillion in 2025.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Hussaini Ibrahim 
Korede Abdullah