AI has become one of the newest arguments in the IPv4 market. As artificial intelligence becomes more visible across the public Internet, more commentators are linking AI growth to renewed demand for IPv4 address space.

The logic is easy to understand. Chatbots, autonomous agents, AI search tools, crawlers, automation platforms, data collection systems and distributed inference services all need to interact with existing online infrastructure. A large part of that infrastructure still depends on IPv4, so it is tempting to assume that AI growth should automatically translate into stronger IPv4 demand.

The argument is plausible. But plausibility is not the same as proof.

At InterLIR, our view is that AI is relevant to the IPv4 market, especially for leasing, proxy infrastructure, outbound connectivity and reputation-sensitive routing. However, the available March-April 2026 transfer data does not yet prove that AI has directly reshaped the IPv4 purchase market or caused broad repricing.

Why AI became part of the IPv4 market story

The AI-IPv4 argument is usually built on four assumptions.

• AI applications need access to IPv4-only and dual-stack resources. Many websites, APIs, enterprise systems and legacy services still depend on IPv4.
• Large-scale data collection may require distributed outbound traffic. Crawlers, agents and automation platforms may need IP diversity, geographic routing and reputation management.
• Agent-based systems can generate more automated requests than traditional human users. This may increase demand for scalable network access.
• AI-related workloads often prefer flexibility. Companies may lease or temporarily access IPv4 space instead of committing to permanent ownership.

Taken together, these assumptions support a credible market argument: AI may increase the operational value of clean, routable IPv4 address space, especially where reputation, geography and flexible access matter.

However, this argument should not be treated as direct evidence of a broad repricing of the IPv4 market.

The commercial interest behind the AI-IPv4 argument

There is also a commercial reason why this argument is gaining visibility.

Many participants in the IPv4 ecosystem benefit from presenting AI as a new structural driver of demand. Sellers benefit from a narrative that reduces pressure to discount. Leasing platforms benefit from positioning IPv4 as a flexible infrastructure layer for AI, automation and distributed workloads. Brokers benefit when buyers believe that current prices may represent an attractive entry point before future demand increases.

This does not mean the argument is false. It means the argument should be tested against observable data.

The strongest version of the AI-related IPv4 argument is not that every chatbot or AI agent needs its own dedicated public IPv4 address. That would be too simplistic. Public IP addresses are not reliable identity units for autonomous agents. Many agents can operate behind shared infrastructure, NAT, cloud gateways, proxy layers or API-based authentication systems.

The more realistic argument is narrower: AI-related workloads may increase demand for publicly routable IPv4 access, especially for outbound Internet connectivity, crawling, API interaction, proxy infrastructure, reputation-sensitive routing and temporary scaling.

That distinction matters. It separates a credible infrastructure effect from an overstated scarcity argument.

InterLIR’s view: no direct evidence yet of AI-driven IPv4 repricing

At InterLIR, our position is that the growth of AI agents, chatbots and automation systems is relevant to the IPv4 market. But current data does not yet prove a direct causal link between AI growth and higher prices in the IPv4 purchase market.

The available March and April 2026 transfer data shows stabilisation, continued liquidity and larger transfers. It does not yet show a clear AI-specific shift in purchasing activity.

What changed between March and April 2026

On InterLIR’s adjusted transaction-counting basis, total transferred IPv4 volume increased from 3,626,496 addresses in March to 4,863,488 addresses in April. That is a material increase of about 34.1%.

However, April was not a month of broader market activity. It was mainly a month of larger transfers.

This structure is important. More address space changed hands in April, but through fewer and larger deals. The strongest increase came from the /17-/20 segment, while /24 volume declined sharply.

That weakens the argument that April’s higher transfer volume was driven by flexible, small-block demand. Many AI-related use cases discussed in the market, including proxy pools, temporary access, distributed outbound traffic and reputation-sensitive routing, would normally be expected to support demand for smaller and easily deployable blocks. April did not show a clear increase in that segment.

The role of M&A also became more visible

The role of M&A and corporate restructuring increased significantly in April. M&A-related transfer volume rose from 633,088 addresses in March to 1,528,576 addresses in April. Its share of total transferred volume increased from about 17.5% to about 31.4%.

This makes it difficult to read April’s higher volume as direct evidence of new AI-driven buying pressure. A significant part of the increase appears to reflect corporate, structural or portfolio-related movement rather than broad open-market demand from AI infrastructure buyers.

In short, the headline volume number looks strong. But the composition of that volume tells a more cautious story.

What the transfer data actually supports

The transfer data supports several careful conclusions.

1. The IPv4 market remains active. Large blocks are still moving, and buyers are present for meaningful volumes of address space.
2. The market appears to be stabilising after the 2025 correction. April’s higher total volume points to liquidity, but not necessarily to rising prices.
3. The buyer base remains diversified. Telecom operators, hosting companies, data infrastructure providers, security companies, cloud-related businesses and corporate network operators continue to appear in transfer data.
4. AI companies are not visibly dominating purchases. Current public transfer data does not show AI companies or AI-agent infrastructure providers as the clear leading buyer category.
5. The decline in /24 volume matters. It makes it harder to argue that flexible small-block demand has already become a visible purchase-market driver.

These conclusions do not dismiss AI as irrelevant. They simply keep the argument grounded in observable evidence.

Where AI may still matter

AI should not be ignored. The growth of automated systems, AI crawlers, agentic workflows and machine-to-machine web interaction can increase the operational need for public IPv4 access.

This is especially relevant when systems need to interact with IPv4-only services, avoid excessive concentration of traffic behind a small number of addresses, manage IP reputation or distribute outbound traffic geographically.

However, this impact is more likely to appear first in leasing, proxy infrastructure, short-term address access and reputation-sensitive routing than in large-scale permanent purchases.

AI-related demand may also be partially hidden inside broader infrastructure categories. Cloud providers, hosting companies, security platforms and data infrastructure operators may buy or lease address space for mixed workloads, including AI-related customers, without those transactions appearing in public data as explicitly AI activity.

This is a real limitation of the data. The absence of a visible AI buyer category does not prove that AI has no effect. But it also does not support the stronger claim that AI has already reshaped the purchase market.

Leasing may be the first place to watch

Public leasing commentary in 2026 continues to describe the leasing segment as more resilient than the purchase market, with rates broadly around the $0.40-$0.50 per IP per month range depending on region, quality and platform. At the same time, increased available supply may create pressure on less differentiated or lower-reputation space.

This is consistent with a more nuanced view of AI demand. AI may support demand for IPv4 usage without immediately causing a broad increase in IPv4 asset prices.

In practice, AI-related workloads may help increase utilisation of leased address space, reduce sellers’ willingness to discount further, or help establish a firmer price floor. But that is different from proving that AI has already triggered a new rally in the IPv4 purchase market.

Conclusion: AI is relevant, but not yet decisive

The current AI-related argument around IPv4 has a real underlying mechanism, but it should be treated carefully.

AI agents, chatbots, crawlers and automation systems are likely to increase demand for IPv4 access in specific operational contexts. The strongest current impact is likely to be in leasing, proxy infrastructure, distributed outbound connectivity, temporary scaling and clean-address reputation.

However, the March-April 2026 transfer data does not yet support the stronger claim that AI growth has directly reshaped the IPv4 purchase market or caused broad repricing. April’s increase in total transferred volume was driven mainly by large and mid-large transfers, while /24 volume declined and M&A-related activity became more prominent.

The most accurate position is this: AI is a relevant supporting demand factor, but not yet a proven primary driver of growth in the IPv4 purchase market.

For now, AI should be viewed as one of several forces helping to stabilise the market and potentially establish a firmer price floor, rather than as confirmed evidence of a new sustained upward cycle in IPv4 purchase prices.

For years, the IPv4 address market felt like a never-ending bidding war. Scarcity looked permanent, prices above $50 per address no longer seemed unusual, and many buyers treated every available block as something to grab before someone else did.

Then 2025 changed the mood completely.

The market entered one of its sharpest corrections in more than a decade. Prices moved down, especially for larger blocks, while transfer activity remained strong. In other words, demand did not disappear. The market simply became more liquid, more selective, and far less emotional.

1. A supply surge killed the urgency premium

The biggest driver of the correction was the visible increase in large-block supply, especially /16 and larger allocations. When these lots started appearing more regularly, buyers no longer had to act as if every opportunity was their last.

The market shifted from a frantic auction environment to something much closer to a buyer’s market. There was more choice, more room for negotiation, and more time for proper due diligence.

The old mindset, “buy it now before it disappears,” has largely lost its power. In 2025, buyers started asking better questions: Where is the block registered? What is the abuse history? Is the geolocation clean? Are there blacklist issues? How smooth will the transfer be?

That shift matters. IPv4 is still scarce, but scarcity alone is no longer enough to justify panic pricing.

2. Technical workarounds are reducing pressure

Buying clean IPv4 addresses outright is no longer the only way to support growth. Operators have become more sophisticated, and several practical alternatives now reduce the pressure to overpay for ownership.

• CGNAT and proxy architectures help networks use existing IPv4 space more efficiently.
• IPv6-first deployment is becoming more realistic in environments where applications, users, and partners can support it.
• IPv4 leasing has become a practical option for public-facing endpoints, legacy systems, B2B integrations, reputation-sensitive hosting, iGaming, anti-fraud platforms, and other use cases where IPv4 is still required.

This does not mean IPv4 is becoming obsolete. Far from it. But demand is becoming more selective. Businesses still need IPv4 in specific operational scenarios, but many are no longer willing to pay a heavy ownership premium just to hold addresses forever.

3. The financial logic of ownership changed

In 2021–2023, holding IPv4 looked like a strong CAPEX decision. Prices were climbing, scarcity was the dominant story, and many organizations believed that buying addresses was safer than leasing them.

By 2025, that logic became much less straightforward.

The result is a different kind of calculation. If a company buys IPv4 at a high per-address price, the break-even period against leasing can stretch for years. For teams that need flexibility, short-term capacity, or predictable operating expenses, leasing or hybrid models can make more sense than permanent ownership.

Ownership still has a place, especially for organizations with long-term infrastructure needs, stable routing requirements, and strict control over reputation. But it is no longer the automatic best answer.

4. 2026 outlook: quality over quantity

The most likely scenario for 2026 is not a collapse and not a return to the old boom. The more realistic outlook is stabilization with clear market bifurcation.

This is the real lesson of 2025: the market is no longer rewarding passive hoarding in the same way. The winners will be the players who add operational value.

• Fast and transparent transfers
• Clear provenance and ownership history
• Reputation checks and blacklist screening
• Flexible leasing and short-term options
• Support with RIR procedures, LOA, RPKI, reverse DNS, and routing documentation

Bottom line: IPv4 is not dead. Speculation is weaker.

The IPv4 “gold rush” is over, but the market is not dying. It is becoming more professional, more liquid, and more selective.

Demand remains healthy because many networks, platforms, and applications still depend on IPv4. At the same time, buyers are more careful, leasing is more accepted, and IPv6 is slowly changing the long-term planning picture.

If you are holding IPv4 addresses, the priority should be quality, documentation, and reputation. If you are buying or expanding, this may be one of the best windows in years to secure the resources you need without the panic pricing of the previous cycle.

The era of endless price increases is behind us. Welcome to the new, more rational IPv4 market.