Economic Growth of 7% by 2030?

By Shondell Sabad | February 2026

Cathie Wood and ARK Invest are making a bold case that we’re heading into a step-change in economic growth, with their research pointing to ~7.3% real GDP growth in their forecast. The drivers are not mysterious, they’re practical, AI and autonomous systems, robotics, energy storage, and new data infrastructure that can lift productivity across the real economy. They point to the fact that every time the economy experiences a change in technology (last one being rail) the baseline GDP increases.

ARK’s outlook suggests that technology-driven productivity could significantly increase real GDP growth over the coming decade. Source: ARK Big Ideas 2026.

What matters for Alberta SMEs

What matters for Alberta SMEs is this, business must come together and lead the charge. Not government programs, not glossy “Nation Building” rhetoric, the next wave of growth will come from companies that adopt tools, train people, and scale what works and move fast. That’s especially true for small and mid-sized firms, the ones closest to customers, closest to operations, and most capable of turning technology into real output.

A call to action

If Alberta wants to stay the economic engine of Canada, we need to act like it. That means backing Alberta-first competitiveness, faster adoption, better skills, fewer barriers to investment, and a clear path for firms to grow here, hire here, and export from here. If Alberta doesn’t thrive, Canada does not thrive. We all must come together to make this happen, let this be a call to action!

Further reading

If you read one thing this week, make it ARK’s full report, it is a must read:


ARK Big Ideas 2026

 

#AlbertaBusiness #SMEs #Productivity #AI #Innovation #EconomicGrowth

Read the full report:

ARK Big Ideas 2026