# AI boom prompts economists to lift 2026 growth forecasts beyond MTI’s upgraded 4.5-5.5% range > Source: > Published: 2026-08-11 09:35:51+00:00 # AI boom prompts economists to lift 2026 growth forecasts beyond MTI’s upgraded 4.5-5.5% range Regional economies have also bumped up their growth expectations amid the stronger-than-expected surge [SINGAPORE] Private-sector economists have raised their full-year growth forecast for Singapore, after the official forecast was [raised to 4.5 to 5.5 per cent](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/singapore/singapore-raises-2026-growth-forecast-4-5-5-5-q2-growth-revised-5-9), from 2 to 4 per cent previously – with at least one bank’s revised forecast sitting above the top end of the upgraded range. The revision, announced on Tuesday (Aug 11), comes on the back of a better-than-expected first half of 2026, during which the economy expanded 6.1 per cent year on year. Economists largely attributed the stronger-than-expected performance to AI-related investment in the region’s electronics, semiconductor and precision engineering sectors, which fed through to Singapore’s manufacturing and export-linked industries.