AI Investment Boom Helps US Manufacturing Recovery Continue

‘Business investment continues to power the economy,’ says a top economist.

A technician works at an Amazon Web Services AI data center in New Carlisle, Ind., on Oct. 2, 2025. Noah Berger for AWS/Reuters

New orders for factory goods rose by the largest amount since November, driven by continued artificial intelligence (AI) investment in the United States, new government data show.

Factory orders advanced 1.5 percent in March, from an upwardly adjusted 0.3 percent increase in February, according to Census Bureau figures released on May 5.