The AI infrastructure race just escalated. Here’s what it means for marketers

OpenAI’s new $38bn multi-year partnership with Amazon Web Services is more than just another headline about GPUs and cloud contracts,  it’s the latest sign of sustained, accelerating demand for AI.

OpenAI is securing massive compute power for the years ahead, laying the groundwork for a world where AI is expected in every interaction. That reality is not just reshaping the tech industry but is redefining how consumers behave and what they expect from the brands they love.

For marketers, this infrastructure arms race is a reflection of AI’s permanence and an invitation to rethink how we should be building connections with increasingly AI-fluent customers.

AI spending mirrors consumer behavior

Massive infrastructure deals like this one are being driven by usage, not speculation. Each dollar invested represents more people turning to AI to brainstorm ideas, plan trips, organize their lives, discover products, and make decisions faster.

The more consumers use AI, the more it shapes how they experience the world around them. They’re becoming accustomed to instant answers, personalized recommendations, and context-aware suggestions that anticipate what they need next.

In turn this means every brand consumers encounter will soon be  measured against a new baseline where intelligence, personalization and ease is expected every step of the way. It’s critical, marketers are ready to deliver on that standard.

The marketer’s version of infrastructure

When tech companies talk about infrastructure, they mean compute power. When marketers think about infrastructure, they should think about data.

You can’t deliver intelligent experiences without unified, connected data systems underneath them. If customer data sits in silos—your ecommerce platform here, your support tool there—your AI tools have nothing cohesive to learn from.

Marketers should treat their data foundation as seriously as OpenAI treats its compute stack. That means building open, integrated ecosystems that connect behavioral data, content, and engagement channels in real time.

Because while OpenAI is scaling the systems that make AI possible, marketers need to scale the systems that make it human, turning data into insight, and insight into personalized experiences.

Opportunity, not overwhelm

The sheer scale of AI investment can feel distant from day-to-day marketing, but it’s closer to home than you might think. The tools marketers rely on are becoming more capable by the day. Predictive insights, generative content, real-time optimization—all of it is moving from aspiration to baseline.

The OpenAI–AWS deal is a reminder that AI’s evolution is as much about behavior as it is about technology. 

For brands, that means the real advantage lies in how well your systems understand and respond to human intent. That’s the future Klaviyo is building toward: a CRM that doesn’t just unify data and orchestrate intelligence but acts on it autonomously, using AI to turn signals into stories, data into decisions, and interactions into lasting relationships.