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AI’s Energy Appetite: can the world’s grids keep up?

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The rapid ascent of artificial intelligence has been nothing short of revolutionary. AI systems are reshaping everything from healthcare to finance, promising to accelerate productivity and innovation at an unprecedented scale. Yet, this digital transformation is built on an increasingly fragile physical foundation: the availability of reliable and affordable energy. As machine learning models expand [...]

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UK’s Manufacturing Crisis: JLR cyberattack, supply chains and industrial fragility

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When a cyberattack hit Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) - owned by India’s Tata group - at the end of August 2025, production paused across key UK sites and thousands of factory staff were told to stay home while systems were rebuilt. JLR moved to a phased restart in early October beginning with Wolverhampton, then Solihull

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Supply Chains and Sovereignty: the rising trend of localisation vs globalisation

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In the past, the logic behind global supply chains was deceptively simple: source components where they were cheapest, assemble products where production was most efficient/ economical, and sell where demand was strongest. This model, refined over decades, essentially prioritised cost and scale above nearly all other considerations. Yet, in recent years, geopolitical pressures, technological competition

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Scandium Stockpiling: the new minerals arms race

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Scandium has quietly shifted from an obscure industrial input to a geopolitical bargaining tool. In mid-2025, Beijing brought it under its export licensing system, meaning buyers now wait longer and face tougher approvals. The EU reacted in July with a formal resolution criticising the move, underlining how even minor minerals are being pulled into bigger

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Difficult Decisions: infrastructure choices, payments, sanctions and alternative networks

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Cross-border payments for the most part still run on SWIFT and old-school correspondent banking, but rules are now forcing banks to go real time. Since 9 January 2025, EU banks have been required to receive euro instant payments within 10 seconds, 24/7. By this October, they also need to be able to send them. That

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Laos, China and the Corridor

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Since the China Laos Railway (CLR) began service in December 2021, Laos has shifted from a land-locked cul-de-sac to a viable overland bridge into China and, by extension, East Asia and Europe. Throughput is climbing with the line moving close to 3 million tonnes in the first half of 2025, up 8.8% year-on-year, indicating deeper

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West Africa’s Cocoa-driven Power Plays

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After two poor seasons in West Africa, cocoa supply remains volatile. Forecasts now point to another output drop in 2025/26 - driven by erratic weather, disease pressure, ageing trees and even mining encroachment - pushing prices to extreme levels and straining operations. This squeeze has created the political space for Accra and Abidjan to lean

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Building Blocks – Suriname’s Emerging Offshore Oil Sector

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Suriname is moving from frontier to pre-producer. TotalEnergies and APA’s October 2024 Final Investment Decision (FID) on Block 58 means it planned to start producing first oil in 2028, shifting attention from exploration to execution risk and market access. Staatsolie’s role and consolidation, reinforced by TotalEnergies’ entry into Block 53 in mid-2025, provide scale and

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A Geothermal Gold Rush – how East Africa converts heat into industry

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East Africa’s Rift Valley holds high-enthalpy geothermal resources that provide steady, 24/7 power. This reliable output can support energy-intensive uses such as industrial parks, data centres, desalination and, in time, green hydrogen. Kenya has converted its geology into grid strength. About 80% of its electricity now comes from renewables, with geothermal supplying around 45%, the

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Mongolia’s Rare Earth Strategy: balancing risks and rivalries

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Wedged between China and Russia, Mongolia is often viewed through the prism of its geography: landlocked and dependent on its neighbours for access to global trade routes. Yet, beneath its deserts and steppes lies a resource base that has the potential to redraw supply chains for critical minerals. Copper, gold and rare earth elements make

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