(18 May 2026 – Asia Pacific) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has released its plans to support A$70 billion in new digital and energy infrastructure across Asia Pacific (APAC) by 2035, representing the lender’s most ambitious regional connectivity campaign.
ADB unveiled a landmark US$70 billion investment drive to transform regional connectivity by 2035 by integrating power grids and structuring an ‘APAC Digital Highway’ to bridge the energy and technology divide for millions.
The APAC Digital Highway will help close the digital infrastructure gap and enable the region to benefit from AI-driven growth while the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative will connect national and subregional power systems so renewable energy can flow across borders.
The APAC Digital Highway will mobilise US$20 billion by 2035 to finance digital corridors, data infrastructure and AI-ready economies. Investments will focus on connected infrastructure, including terrestrial and subsea fiber networks, satellite links and regional data centres.
Under the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative, ADB will work with governments, utilities, the private sector and development partners to mobilise US$50 billion by 2035 for cross-border power infrastructure that can unlock renewable energy at scale. ADB expects to finance about half of the US$50 billion initiative from its own resources and raise the rest through cofinancing, including from the private sector.
“Digital access and energy will define the region’s future. These two initiatives build the systems APAC need to grow, compete and connect. By linking power grids and digital networks across borders, we can lower costs, expand opportunity and bring reliable power and digital access to hundreds of millions of people” commented ADB President Masato Kanda.