The world is facing an infrastructure reckoning. According to the latest research from McKinsey in their report “The infrastructure moment: Investing in the expanding foundations of modern society”, the world will need a cumulative $106 trillion in investment by 2040 to meet global needs.
But this is not just a call for more concrete and steel. The very definition of infrastructure has shifted. It now encompasses digital networks, energy transitions, and the services that make assets resilient. In this high-stakes macroeconomic game, people counting infrastructure has emerged not merely as a technical add-on, but as a critical piece of intelligence sitting at the intersection of efficiency, sustainability, and profitability.
The Intersection of Critical Verticals
The days of siloed infrastructure are over. Today, a building is not just a shelter; it is a node in a digital network and a consumer in an energy grid. People counting infrastructure sits squarely at the intersection of several critical verticals identified in the McKinsey report:
- Digital and Communications: Sensors provide the “ground truth” data required to feed Digital Twins. As McKinsey notes in “Digital twins: Boosting ROI of government infrastructure investments”, these digital replicas are essential for maximizing returns; however, they rely entirely on accurate, real-time input to function.
- Energy, Power, and Resources: Real-time occupancy data is the only way to transition from static energy consumption to dynamic, demand-based usage. This is particularly acute in the tech sector, where the “cost of compute” has triggered a $7 trillion race to scale data centers. Optimizing cooling and energy in these facilities based on human presence and maintenance flows is a multi-billion dollar efficiency opportunity.
- Logistics and Transportation: Understanding flow and dwell times is essential for optimizing the movement of people and goods in increasingly dense hubs.
- Social Infrastructure: Schools, hospitals, and public spaces require accurate usage data to ensure safety and efficient resource allocation.
As the McKinsey report states:
“Governments, investors, and operators will want to reflect on these interconnections and pursue integrated strategies that best deliver the mix of infrastructure that society needs to prosper.”
People counting provides the data layer that makes these strategies possible, linking physical assets with the digital intelligence required to manage them.
The Investment Surge and the Search for "Alpha"
The capital is available, but the competition is fierce. The McKinsey report highlights a massive shift in capital flows:
“Private infrastructure assets under management surged from about $500 billion in 2016 to $1.5 trillion in 2024, reflecting its new position as the most desired asset class for increased investment.”
With this surge comes pressure. Visionary early investors are no longer satisfied with owning static assets; they are hunting for operational efficiency and value creation—often referred to as “alpha”.
In Smart Buildings, people counting infrastructure is the tool that unlocks this value. By revealing exactly how space is utilized, investors and operators can maximize tenant experience while minimizing waste. It transforms a building from a passive cost center into a responsive, optimized asset.
A New Metric for a New Era: Energy Per Person
To meet climate goals and financial targets, we must change how we measure success. The traditional metric of “energy per square meter” is increasingly obsolete in a world of hybrid work and flexible usage. An empty building that consumes low energy is not efficient; it is a stranded asset.
The future demands a shift toward Energy Per Person.
This concept aligns with the call to action for leadership. As noted in the McKinsey report:
“Policymakers can consider meeting the moment and strategically prioritizing verticals by creating frameworks to attract private capital, streamlining regulatory processes and repurposing underused assets.”
To “repurpose underused assets” effectively, one must first measure utilization with precision. This is where the industry must pivot to metrics that matter. As explored in recent analyses, Why energy-per-person is the metric the future demands, shifting the focus to the human occupant ensures that infrastructure serves its primary purpose, supporting people, without wasting resources on empty space.
The Impact on Visionary Partners and Smart Buildings
For associated partners and solution providers, this represents a unique window of opportunity. The integration of GDPR-compliant, privacy-first people counting sensors is becoming a prerequisite for:
- Decarbonization: Reducing the carbon footprint of buildings by aligning energy spend with actual occupancy.
- Privacy standards: Utilizing Time-of-Flight and thermal technologies that respect individual anonymity, a non-negotiable requirement for modern social and corporate infrastructure.
- Asset Liquidity: Providing the data that proves an asset’s utility and efficiency to potential buyers or tenants.
The “Infrastructure Moment” described by McKinsey is here. It is characterized by the convergence of the physical and the digital. Those who deploy people counting infrastructure today are not just counting heads; they are quantifying the value of the built environment and securing their place in the future economy.
The Author: Dr. Max Ruffo is a visionary technology leader with over two decades of experience at the forefront of industrial innovation, having pioneered the introduction of 3D printing, civil drones, autonomous mobile robots and LiDAR sensors. Today, Max is dedicated to a long-term mission of building a better world by championing green buildings and net-zero communities.
References & Further Reading
- McKinsey & Company: “The infrastructure moment: Investing in the expanding foundations of modern society” (September 9, 2025). Read the full report
- McKinsey & Company: “The cost of compute: A $7 trillion race to scale data centers” (April 28, 2025).
- McKinsey & Company: “Digital twins: Boosting ROI of government infrastructure investments” (July 3, 2025).
- Terabee: “Why energy-per-person is the metric the future demands”. Read the article
- Terabee Insights: Articles by Dr. Max Ruffo on Smart Buildings and IoT. View collection
