James Van Geelen's Vision for the Next Phase of AI Buildout: Strategic Investment Opportunities in AI Infrastructure and Talent Development

James Van Geelen, founder of Citrini Research, has long been a visionary in identifying transformative investment themes. From his early bets on weight-loss drugs to his current focus on artificial intelligence (AI), his strategy revolves around anticipating paradigm shifts and capitalizing on the "picks and shovels" opportunities that emerge during technological revolutions. As AI transitions from experimental to foundational across industries, Van Geelen's recent emphasis on infrastructure and talent development underscores a critical juncture in the AI ecosystem. This analysis explores the strategic investment opportunities he highlights, supported by industry data and trends.

The Infrastructure Imperative: Powering AI's Next Frontier

AI's exponential growth hinges on robust infrastructure, a domain Van Geelen has prioritized since 2023. According to the 2025 State of AI Infrastructure Report, 70% of organizations are allocating at least 10% of their IT budgets to AI initiatives, including cloud computing, hardware, and networking. This surge in demand is reshaping the infrastructure landscape, with data centers and fiber networks at the forefront.

The U.S. alone is projected to see electricity demand for data centers rise from 176 TWh in 2023 to 325–580 TWh by 2028, according to How AI Is Reshaping Infrastructure. Projects like Stargate, targeting $500 billion in investment, and Europe's InvestAI initiative, aiming for €200 billion, reflect the global scale of this transformation, a trend captured in AI infrastructure investment is going global. Van Geelen's focus on "picks and shovels" aligns with these trends, emphasizing investments in cloud providers, energy solutions, and edge computing to address bottlenecks like bandwidth shortages and latency, as highlighted by Early AI Investor James van Geelen.

Sustainability is another key pillar. With 79% of organizations under pressure to adopt eco-friendly infrastructure, the State of AI Infrastructure Report shows Van Geelen's strategies likely include renewable energy partnerships and carbon offset programs. This aligns with the 51% of companies willing to pay a premium for sustainable solutions reported by IFM Investors, creating a dual opportunity for infrastructure investors to meet demand while addressing environmental concerns.

Bridging the Talent Gap: A Strategic Workforce Revolution

While infrastructure lays the groundwork, AI's success depends on human capital. Van Geelen's frameworks for talent development mirror insights from Aegis Enterprise and McKinsey, which advocate for a three-tiered approach: AI specialists, AI-savvy professionals, and an AI-aware workforce, as detailed in AI talent development. This layered model ensures organizations build both technical expertise and strategic fluency.

The skills gap remains acute. Eighty-six percent of organizations express concerns about acquiring AI talent, while 61% face staffing gaps in managing specialized infrastructure. To address this, 63% of companies are deploying AI tools with built-in training features, and 62% are running in-house programs. Van Geelen's emphasis on partnerships with academia and EdTech platforms further amplifies this effort, enabling scalable reskilling for mid-career professionals and fostering internal talent pipelines.

Leadership AI fluency is equally critical. As the AI Talent Evolution report notes, embedding AI literacy across executive and functional roles ensures ethical practices and innovation. Metrics like time-to-hire for AI roles and retention rates of high-performing talent are now key performance indicators, reflecting the urgency of talent strategy.

Navigating the "Frothy" Market: Van Geelen's Cautionary Lens

Despite AI's promise, Van Geelen has warned of overvaluation risks. In 2024, he described the AI investment market as "frothy," urging investors to prioritize fundamentals over hype; he emphasized this stance in interviews and commentary captured by Early AI Investor James van Geelen. This caution is warranted: while 90% of IT leaders deploy generative AI, valuations in the sector have surged ahead of measurable productivity gains.

His approach advocates for disciplined, long-term investing. By focusing on infrastructure and talent-areas with tangible, scalable demand-investors can mitigate speculative risks. For instance, the 15-gigawatt power targets in U.S. data center projects and the €20 billion allocated to AI gigafactories in Europe represent concrete, value-driven opportunities. Similarly, talent development programs with measurable outcomes (e.g., AI bootcamps, leadership training) offer defensible returns in an uncertain market.

Conclusion: A Holistic Path Forward

James Van Geelen's vision for AI's next phase is rooted in a dual focus on infrastructure and talent. By investing in scalable, sustainable infrastructure and fostering a workforce capable of leveraging AI's potential, he identifies opportunities that transcend short-term volatility. As the AI landscape matures, these strategies-backed by data and aligned with global trends-offer a roadmap for investors seeking to navigate the complexities of this transformative era.