Thinking of entering defence? Good. But read this first, or get crushed. You’re not building a startup. You’re entering a war zone with Excel sheets instead of bullets. And here’s the first landmine: Defence doesn’t care about you. Not until you matter. And by the time you matter, it might be too late. So here’s your brutal, field-tested playbook 👇 🔻 1. Run a Dual-Use Strategy or Die Trying Don’t “pivot into defence.†Don’t “add military as a target customer.†Build something with teeth in both markets — or you’ll starve while waiting 24 months for a MoD reply. Dual-use = survival. Omni-use = dominance. 🔻 2. Your Actual Competitor? Paper. You're not fighting primes. You're fighting outdated workflows, 94-page requirement PDFs, and evaluation committees who’ve never used the tech. You’re not selling innovation. You’re selling the idea that innovation should exist. 🔻 3. Never Ask for Feedback — Ask for Budget Lines Everyone will “love†what you’re doing. They’ll invite you to panels, workshops, incubators. None of that pays your team. Ask: “Which budget pays for this in Q4?†If they can’t answer, walk. 🔻 4. Find a Uniformed Insider, or You’re Screwed No matter how good your pitch is, you need a believer inside the system. Someone who speaks procurement and can say, “This solves my mission.†Without that: enjoy limbo. 🔻 5. If You’re Not Testable, You’re Not Real Defence doesn’t buy PowerPoints. You need a testable MVP fast. No test = no traction. No traction = no procurement route. No route = you're just theatre. 🔻 6. The First Deal Will Break You It’s slow. It’s painful. It’ll take months, maybe years. But once you break the wall once, you become “pre-approved.†Then the real business begins. 🔻 7. Ignore All of This If You're Building Slideware This advice is only for builders. For founders ready to live in uncertainty, raise from niche VCs, and get 50 no’s before one test flight. If you're not all-in: stay in SaaS. This is the most misunderstood opportunity of our time. Europe is waking up. The U.S. is doubling down. And the next industrial revolution will wear camouflage. Startups who learn the terrain will dominate. Speed. Testability. Dual-use. Insider access. That’s your survival kit. Use it. #DefenceStartups #DualUse #InnovationInDefence #OmniUse #MilitaryTech #InsiderIntel #BoldMovesOnly #WakeUpEurope
Strategic Industry Analysis
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Former Director General Air Force, Comdt National Defence Academy & Air Force Academy | PhD | MPhil | Strategic Coach | Educator | Mentor | TEDx | Speaker | Author & Columnist | Podcast | Forecasting | Board Member |
11,618 followersAMCA programme has reached a critical juncture with Tata Advanced Systems, Larsen & Toubro and Bharat Forge shortlisted to develop the nation's 5th gen stealth fighter while HAL has been left out of contention. This represents a fundamental transformation in India's defense industrial strategy. Unlike traditional defense procurement where HAL dominated as the sole manufacturer, this competition marks India's first major fighter jet program genuinely open to private sector. The selection criteria emphasised technical expertise, manufacturing, financial strength, and order book capacity not legacy relationships.This competitive approach signals that India is prioritising delivery capability, innovation over incumbency. The Rs 15,000 crore prototype development contract, with eventual orders expected for 120+ aircraft, creates unprecedented opportunity for private sector companies to lead cutting-edge aerospace development alongside the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). The AMCA program's R&D requirements will help India's MSME aerospace ecosystem in several ways including technology transfer & capability Building in stealth design, advanced materials, AI integration, sensor fusion etc. It requires specialised components that the winning consortium must source domestically. This creates downstream opportunities for MSMEs to develop niche competencies in composites, precision manufacturing, avionics and specialised coatings. With production targets of 120+ jets initially and significantly more advanced variants over decades, the program demands robust quality certified supplier networks. MSMEs that achieve aerospace-grade certifications for AMCA will gain credentials applicable to global aerospace markets. The program's advanced technology requirements unmanned teaming, long-range strike capabilities, AI driven systems necessitate R&D partnerships beyond tier-1 contractors. MSMEs with specialised capabilities in software, materials science and electronics can become critical innovation partners. Large scale fighter development creates demand for specialised engineering talent. Training programs and Centers of Excellence established for AMCA will build a skilled workforce that benefits the broader manufacturing ecosystem. HAL’s exclusion underscores a shift toward performance based accountability, signaling that delays and efficiency now carry consequences even for incumbents. It breaks HAL’s long standing monopoly, injecting private sector competition, innovation and global quality practices into India’s most critical fighter program. By distributing risk, AMCA avoids bottlenecks from HAL’s legacy workload while leveraging private players’ global partnerships for future competitiveness. The decision within the next three months will shape not just India's air power, but the trajectory of its defense industrial base for the next 50 years.
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24,844 followers
At Amazon, we would often spend months working on a single paragraph of the PR/FAQ for a new product idea. This was the "problem paragraph". Done well, it could lead to a successful product. Done wrong, it will lead to failure. Here is how to write a successful problem paragraph: The “problem paragraph†defines the customer problem you’re solving. Without this, you will build a product that doesn’t address a customer pain point. It shows whether you truly understand your customer's needs, not just your company’s capabilities. To write this paragraph, start by precisely identifying the customer segment that will be served by your product. Great products are built for specific people with specific needs. For instance, designing a car for single urban professionals under 35 differs significantly from designing for suburban families with three kids and a dog. If you think your product is for everyone, you’re mistaken. A strong way to begin your paragraph is: “Today, [customer segment] has [problem], which they currently solve using [methods A, B, and C]…†Next, quantify the problem: → How large is the segment? (e.g., 17 million households) → What methods do they use? (e.g., 45% use A, 25% use B, 30% use C) → What are the tradeoffs? (e.g., speed, cost, quality) Here’s an example for a hypothetical robot vacuum product: “Today, 15 million busy urban and suburban professionals earning between $100,000 and $200,000 struggle to find the time and energy to keep their homes clean. Approximately 30% of these households use traditional vacuuming, which requires up to 2 hours per week. 55% hire a cleaner at a minimum of $50/week, and 15% use robot vacuums that cost $600 plus $100/year in maintenance, while leaving behind up to 30% of dust and dirt.†This problem paragraph quantifies the customer problem in terms of money, time, and other metrics where possible (in this case, the dust and dirt left behind). The problem should always be quantified; otherwise, how can you assess the potential value of a product that solves it? Well-defined customer problems are built on data-based insights. Insights are gleaned from swimming in data and metrics. This includes customer usage metrics, process or operations metrics, user interviews, demographic data, customer feedback, customer support data and anecdotes. The more data-based and specific your insight, the more accurate and helpful your problem paragraph will be. This is why the process can take months. However, distilling these quantified insights into a single paragraph gives you the best chance at building a truly useful product. At Amazon, this paragraph was always the most debated section in a PR/FAQ. This is because getting the problem wrong is the worst mistake you can make in building a product. Everywhere else, you can pivot. But if the problem is incorrectly diagnosed, nothing else matters. (cont. in comments)
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IMD Business School, LEGO® Professor | 2025 Thinkers50 Top 50 | Director, Center for Future Readiness
58,570 followersFor the first time in our Future Readiness Indicator's history, Tesla has lost its top position to BYD, scoring 98.1 to BYD's perfect 100. But this historic power shift isn't an anomaly. Instead, it’s the culmination of years of strategic patience and relentless innovation from Chinese manufacturers. Here's how the automotive competitive landscape has fundamentally transformed in 2025: BACKGROUND: Traditional automotive manufacturers are in crisis. Stellantis, VW, BMW, and Mercedes have reported declining revenues while Chinese EV makers like BYD, XPeng, and Li Auto are experiencing substantial growth. We've spent years analyzing why this historic power shift is happening: - Chinese EV makers aren't just winning on cost—they're reimagining cars as "computers on wheels" - BYD's R&D intensity grew 23.35% (3Y CAGR) while obtaining 1,880 new patent authorizations last year, a 113.64% increase compared to 2023 - Traditional OEMs are stuck in hardware-centric models with 5-7 year development cycles - EV makers iterate in 18-36 months with startup-style organizations In 2019, I would have bet on Tesla maintaining dominance indefinitely. Their software-first architecture gave them a seemingly insurmountable advantage. But Chinese manufacturers didn't try to beat Tesla at its own game. They played the long game. XPeng adopted an "experience-first" strategy, designing user interfaces and autonomous features before mechanical elements. Li Auto's rapid iteration cycle meant yearly upgrades incorporating real-time customer feedback, while incumbents were still retooling factories. And BYD? While Tesla stagnated (-9.4% Q1 2025 sales growth), BYD's revenue grew 52.8% (3Y CAGR) with inventory turnover at 6.17—operational excellence at scale. The lesson is clear: EVs are becoming commoditized, but software ecosystems and rapid iteration cycles are not. For automotive executives, this means three essential strategic shifts: 1. Treat cars as "computers on wheels" where software features and rapid updates are paramount 2. Build supply chain agility with digital tracking systems and localized production of critical components 3. Invest in brand differentiation; as technology becomes commoditized, trust will determine winners The most important insight from our research: future readiness is never a finished state but a continuous process of adaptation. Even market leaders can be challenged when competitors commit to the long game. The race is far from over, but the rules have fundamentally changed.
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ð—§ð—µð—² ð˜ð—²ð—¿ð—º “ð—½ð—®ð—¿ð—®ð—±ð—¶ð—´ð—º ð˜€ð—µð—¶ð—³ð˜â€ ð—¶ð˜€ ð—¼ð—³ð˜ð—²ð—» ð—¼ð˜ƒð—²ð—¿ð˜‚ð˜€ð—²ð—± ð˜ð—µð—²ð˜€ð—² ð—±ð—®ð˜†ð˜€. ð—•ð˜‚ð˜ ð—¶ð˜â€™ð˜€ ð˜ƒð—²ð—¿ð˜† ð—®ð—½ð—½ð—¹ð—¶ð—°ð—®ð—¯ð—¹ð—² ð˜ð—¼ ð˜„ð—µð—®ð˜ ð—¶ð˜€ ð—µð—®ð—½ð—½ð—²ð—»ð—¶ð—»ð—´ ð—¿ð—¶ð—´ð—µð˜ ð—»ð—¼ð˜„ ð—¶ð—» ð˜ð—µð—² ð—´ð—¹ð—¼ð—¯ð—®ð—¹ ð—®ð˜‚ð˜ð—¼ð—ºð—¼ð˜ð—¶ð˜ƒð—² ð—¶ð—»ð—±ð˜‚ð˜€ð˜ð—¿ð˜†! â¬‡ï¸ At IBM, we’ve surveyed 101 automotive OEM executives across the US, UK, Germany, and India and gathered insights into how AI is transforming their industry. And there is one overarching takeaway: ð—”𗜠ð—®ð—±ð—¼ð—½ð˜ð—¶ð—¼ð—» ð—¶ð˜€ð—»'ð˜ ð—·ð˜‚ð˜€ð˜ ð—® ð˜ð—²ð—°ð—µð—»ð—¼ð—¹ð—¼ð—´ð˜† ð˜€ð—µð—¶ð—³ð˜; ð—¶ð˜'𘀠𗮠ð˜€ð˜ð—¿ð—®ð˜ð—²ð—´ð—¶ð—° ð—½ð—¿ð—¶ð—¼ð—¿ð—¶ð˜ð˜† ð—³ð—¼ð—¿ ð˜ð—µð—² ð—³ð˜‚ð˜ð˜‚ð—¿ð—² ð—¼ð—³ ð˜ð—µð—² ð—®ð˜‚ð˜ð—¼ð—ºð—¼ð˜ð—¶ð˜ƒð—² ð—¶ð—»ð—±ð˜‚ð˜€ð˜ð—¿ð˜†. Here’s why: 1. ð—–ð—®ð—¿ð˜€ ð—®ð—¿ð—² ð—¯ð—²ð—°ð—¼ð—ºð—¶ð—»ð—´ ð˜€ð—¼ð—³ð˜ð˜„ð—®ð—¿ð—²-ð—±ð—²ð—³ð—¶ð—»ð—²ð—±: âžœ AI is at the heart of this shift. In just a few years, 79% of automakers expect to have software-defined vehicles (SDVs), making AI the essential motor for driving this change. 2. ð—”𗜠ð˜„ð—¶ð—¹ð—¹ ð—½ð—¼ð˜„ð—²ð—¿ ð—»ð—²ð˜„ ð—¿ð—²ð˜ƒð—²ð—»ð˜‚ð—² ð˜€ð˜ð—¿ð—²ð—®ð—ºð˜€: âžœ The future of automotive isn’t just about vehicles; it's about services. Automakers are set to generate 51% of revenue from digital and software services by 2035. From predictive maintenance to in-car experiences, AI is creating new business models. 3. ð—”𗜠ð˜„ð—¶ð—¹ð—¹ ð—³ð˜‚ð—²ð—¹ ð—¶ð—»ð—»ð—¼ð˜ƒð—®ð˜ð—¶ð—¼ð—» ð—¶ð—» ð—½ð—¿ð—¼ð—±ð˜‚ð—°ð˜ ð—±ð—²ð˜ƒð—²ð—¹ð—¼ð—½ð—ºð—²ð—»ð˜: Automakers are rethinking their operating models, and AI is leading the charge. **65% of executives** already have a clear strategy for integrating AI into their long-term plans. This includes everything from **autonomous driving** to creating personalized in-car experiences. 4. ð—”𗜠ð—¶ð˜€ ð˜ð—µð—² ð—¸ð—²ð˜† ð˜ð—¼ ð—³ð—®ð˜€ð˜ð—²ð—¿ ð—®ð—»ð—± ð˜€ð—ºð—®ð—¿ð˜ð—²ð—¿ ð—¼ð—½ð—²ð—¿ð—®ð˜ð—¶ð—¼ð—»ð˜€: AI is improving everything, from customer insights to predictive maintenance, and it’s streamlining manufacturing and operations. By implementing AI, the industry expects a 40% boost in productivity within three years. 5. ð—”𗜠ð—¶ð˜€ð—»â€™ð˜ ð—·ð˜‚ð˜€ð˜ ð—® ð˜ð—¿ð—²ð—»ð—±: âžœ In a world where the automotive landscape is changing rapidly, AI investments are no longer seen as optional. 79% of executives say AI is strongly supported by senior leadership and will drive measurable competitive advantage. ð—§ð—µð—² ð—¶ð—»ð˜ð—²ð—¿ð—²ð˜€ð˜ð—¶ð—»ð—´ ð—½ð—®ð—¿ð˜: ð—”𗜠ð—¶ð˜€ ð—»ð—¼ ð—¹ð—¼ð—»ð—´ð—²ð—¿ ð—·ð˜‚ð˜€ð˜ ð—®ð—¯ð—¼ð˜‚ð˜ ð—®ð˜‚ð˜ð—¼ð—ºð—®ð˜ð—¶ð—¼ð—». ð—œð˜'𘀠ð—®ð—¯ð—¼ð˜‚ð˜ ð—°ð—¿ð—²ð—®ð˜ð—¶ð—»ð—´ ð—»ð—²ð˜„ ð—¯ð˜‚ð˜€ð—¶ð—»ð—²ð˜€ð˜€ ð—ºð—¼ð—±ð—²ð—¹ð˜€ ð˜ð—µð—®ð˜ ð—±ð—¶ð—±ð—»â€™ð˜ ð—²ð˜…ð—¶ð˜€ð˜ ð—¯ð—²ð—³ð—¼ð—¿ð—². ð—™ð—¼ð—¿ ð—®ð˜‚ð˜ð—¼ð—ºð—®ð—¸ð—²ð—¿ð˜€, ð˜ð—µð—¶ð˜€ ð˜€ð—µð—¶ð—³ð˜ ð—¶ð˜€ ð—®ð—» ð—¼ð—½ð—½ð—¼ð—¿ð˜ð˜‚ð—»ð—¶ð˜ð˜† ð˜ð—¼ ð—»ð—¼ð˜ ð—¼ð—»ð—¹ð˜† ð—¶ð—»ð—°ð—¿ð—²ð—®ð˜€ð—² ð—¿ð—²ð˜ƒð—²ð—»ð˜‚ð—² ð—¯ð˜‚ð˜ ð˜ð—¼ ð—¿ð—²ð—±ð—²ð—³ð—¶ð—»ð—² ð˜ð—µð—² ð—²ð—»ð˜ð—¶ð—¿ð—² ð—¶ð—»ð—±ð˜‚ð˜€ð˜ð—¿ð˜†. You can download the study below or via this link: https://lnkd.in/gWCv6kJZ --- Next in the IBM Institute for Business Value industry series is “Oil & Gas in the AI Era,†followed by eight other industries, one each month until the end of the year.
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I’m pleased to share the Kingdom’s success story in the aluminum industry—now one of the key pillars powering sectors such as electric vehicles, aviation, and renewable energy. The journey begins at the Al Baitha mine in Qassim, which produces 5 million tons of bauxite annually. From there, it travels through the Kingdom’s railway network to Ras Al Khair Industrial City, where the transformation process unfolds: • From the alumina refinery with a capacity of 1.8 million tons annually • To the smelter with a capacity of 820,000 tons annually • Then to the casthouse with a capacity of 1 million tons annually • Supported by aluminum scrap recycling furnaces with a capacity of 100,000 tons annually • Integrated with the rolling mill that has a production capacity 460,000 tons annually. Together, these operations form Ma’aden’s fully integrated aluminum complex in Ras Al Khair—the largest of its kind worldwide, taking aluminum production from mine to market. One of its most notable milestones is supplying aluminum sheets to major European automotive manufacturers. The ecosystem extends further, supporting the production of 1 mn tons of downstream Aluminum including: • Extrusion plants serving the Kingdom’s mega construction projects needs of doors and window frames • â Castings plants • Electrical cable factories • Beverages Cans and packaging This strong foundation is delivering high-quality, value-added products, strengthening global confidence in Saudi capabilities, and positioning the Kingdom as a true hub for mining and industry. Beyond industrial impact, it is also creating thousands of jobs and enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy.
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Sustainable fashion at UNEP | Founder and systems thinker | NED | Strategist, writer, speaker, changemaker
29,590 followersIt's out! Today, Textile Exchange has published its report, authored by yours truly, exploring how we can reimagine growth in the fashion, apparel and textile industry. This landscape analysis is intended to provide a state of play on this highly complex and contentious topic - outlining why we need to shift from exponential increases in production and consumption volumes based on unchecked resource extraction. Instead it provides a vision for alignment with regenerative economy and post-growth principles, centering a complete reimagining of value creation. Very simply, continued improvements on the product and process level are not going to be enough for the level of change required. What this report shows is the need for reduction as an active strategy, addressing head on the tension that presents. Importantly, it emphasises doing so as necessary to ensure resilience; mitigating future risk due to supply chain instability, resource depletion, overreliance on finite resources and incoming legislation. The report proposes a suite of pathways for change, including eliminating virgin fossil-based synthetics, designing products for longevity and reflecting externalities in their pricing, scaling circular business models, and addressing marketing practices. It further explores new success metrics, mobilising finance and alternative ownership and governance models, as well as the need to ensure a just transition—protecting the rights, livelihoods and well-being of people across the value chain. These pathways will require systemic support to achieve anything close to a post-growth future, with the need for ambitious government policy and collective corporate commitment to get there. The report calls on business leaders, policymakers and financial stakeholders to take immediate, meaningful steps. This isn't simple and it won't be easy. As I say in the press release: “Reimagining growth represents a fundamental paradigm shift, requiring not just incremental adjustments but a complete transformation of how the industry operates. As a challenge of systems change, inherently rooted in complexity, it will demand contributions from all stakeholder groups to achieve a more sustainable and equitable future.†Thank you to all of the incredible people who contributed to this report in consultations, workshops, expert interviews, review processes and ear bending by me. And mostly thank you to Beth Jensen and Claire Bergkamp for their incredible support and leadership on this work over the past three years, and for having the courage of conviction, alongside the Textile Exchange board and wider team, to table this topic and publish something so bold and so crucial for the future of our industry, our planet and the people on it. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eScK9uyy #postgrowth #sustainablefashion #overconsumption #fashion #textiles 📷  Madeleine BrunnmeierÂ
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AI capabilities, data analytics, retail media products, and P&L growth for CPG brands | Fmr. L’Oreal, PepsiCo, Mondelez, EPAM | Keynote speaker, author, sailor, runner
58,391 followersComplexity beats simplification in beauty; that's L'Oreal's masterclass. And they make it look so easy. While we're crunching the numbers and gathering more input for 2025, here's a holiday treat from our team: some headlines from our growth playbook. 💡L'Oréal has achieved what most CPG brands aspire to: 7X growth over 30 years, $47B in revenue in beauty (76% larger than Unilever), and category dominance representing 33% of the Top 8 global cosmetics market ($141.2B). The playbook summary below synthesizes L'Oréal's proven strategy with emerging competitive dynamics. ð—£ð—œð—Ÿð—Ÿð—”ð—¥ ðŸ: Portfolio Architecture & M&A Mastery Your Strategic Principle: Complexity as a competitive advantage through strategic optionality at scale You need to build a portfolio across all price tiers, no exception. 1. Mass Market (Volume drivers): Maybelline, L'Oréal Paris, Garnier 2. Professional (B2B + loyalty): Matrix, Kérastase, Redken, ColorWow 3. Active Cosmetics/Dermocosmetics (Medical credibility): La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, SkinCeuticals, Vichy 4. Luxury (Margin maximizers): YSL, Lancôme, Kiehl's, Urban Decay, now Creed + Gucci/Balenciaga licenses Each tier serves different channels, price sensitivities, and consumer occasions—creating portfolio resilience against market volatility. ð—£ð—œð—Ÿð—Ÿð—”ð—¥ ðŸ®: Channel-Specific Optimization - Cerave dominates Amazon 1P - Lancôme owns Sephora counters - Kérastase Paris leads salon professional - La Roche-Posay USA controls pharmacy ð—£ð—œð—Ÿð—Ÿð—”ð—¥ ðŸ¯: Retail media leadership will give you wings, so you should implement category-leading retail media investment. 2025 Benchmarks (Beauty & Personal Care) from ecommert Navigator Global Retail Media Benchmark Allocations Report (you can find it in the comments) 👇 - 22.7% of total ad spend (US: 23-27%, EU: 18%) - 2.35% of net revenue on average - $6.60+ ROAS when executed well 💡Beauty leads ALL #FMCG categories in retail media maturity—treating it as core infrastructure, not experimental spend. ð—£ð—œð—Ÿð—Ÿð—”ð—¥ ðŸ°: You must master consumer behavior and data-driven personalization. Step 1: Build the first-party data ecosystem to capture first-party data from minimum 30%+ of your consumers within 18 months. Step 2: Leverage AI for hyper-personalization, use LLM beauty assistants, predictive replenishment and launch conversational product discovery. Step 3: You'd better master the "Niche-to-Mainstream" funnel 🚨Old Model: Mass production → broad distribution → heavy discounting 💡New Model: Limited drops → atelier collabs → data-driven micro-batches → TikTok → Duty Free (in weeks, not quarters) ð—£ð—œð—Ÿð—Ÿð—”ð—¥ ðŸ±: Digital excellence requires robust organizational design, so revamp your org. Investment benchmark: Winners invest >10% of revenues in digital technologies and #eCommerce. Size doesn't guarantee growth; omnichannel execution + retail media optimization does. More to come, stay tuned. #FMCG #Beauty #Growth #Strategy
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Global Emirati Voice | LinkedIn Top Influencer | AI & Innovation | Strategic Partnerships & Investment | Driving UAE’s Global Rise
238,183 followersThe UAE Produces Roughly 1 Out Of Every 25 Tonnes Of Aluminium On Earth According to Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA): → The UAE produces 4% of global aluminium → Serving 400+ customers across 50+ countries → Selling 2.83M tonnes in 2025 → Generating AED 31.98B ($8.71B) in revenue For perspective: → Global aluminium production is 74M tonnes annually → UAE population: 11.5M people Yet the UAE still sits inside the top tier of global aluminium production alongside: → China → India → Russia → Canada Very few countries of this size possess this level of industrial relevance globally. Major export markets include: → Turkey → European Union → United States → Japan → Norway The UAE did not inherit an aluminium advantage. It engineered one. Despite lacking: → Large bauxite reserves → A traditional industrial base the UAE built industrial strength through: → Energy infrastructure → Sovereign investment → Ports & logistics → Industrial zones → Global trade connectivity EGA has now produced: → 50+ million tonnes of cast metal since 1979 What took many industrial economies over a century… the UAE compressed into decades. But this story is much bigger than aluminium. Aluminium increasingly sits inside: → AI data centers → Electric vehicles → Renewable energy → Aerospace → Industrial infrastructure The AI race is no longer only about: → Chips → Models → Software It is increasingly about: → Electricity → Cooling → Grid infrastructure → Physical compute systems According to the IEA: → Data center electricity demand could reach 945 TWh by 2030 Meaning: AI increasingly scales through physical infrastructure. AI → Compute → Electricity → Infrastructure → Materials And aluminium sits deeply across that chain. The deeper layer: Aluminium is essentially converted energy. The UAE is no longer exporting only energy. It is increasingly converting energy into: → Industrial products → Infrastructure materials → Global manufacturing value chains Especially as recycled aluminium can require: → 95% less energy than primary production. At the same time, the UAE is reducing dependence on: → Oil volatility → Pure hydrocarbon exports by building: → Industrial exports → Manufacturing capability → Strategic materials relevance And none of this would have been possible without: → Jebel Ali → Khalifa Port → Global shipping corridors Positioned between: → Asia → Europe → Africa the UAE is increasingly becoming: → A trusted industrial hub → A logistics connector → A globally integrated infrastructure platform This is the real UAE story: A nation of just 11.5 million people building systems with global-scale influence. Energy → AI → Logistics → Infrastructure → Manufacturing → Capital One integrated national architecture. Transforming the UAE into one of the world’s most strategically connected economies. If excellence had a flag, it would be the UAE’s.
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Today, Robert Kenny, William Webb and myself are releasing a new study (https://lnkd.in/dhKhQJNv) commissioned by CCIA Europe that looks into the validity of the prevailing narrative around the turmoils of the telecom sector in Europe. This narrative, which posits that the European telecom sector is ill is the justification for radical policy changes in the upcoming Digital Networks Act currently being worked on at the European Commission. In this report however, we find that: - Europe is not lagging behind in connectivity; - the Telecom operators are not in a bad financial health, in fact their prospects are good and improving; - the dreaded exponential growth of data traffic on telecom networks does not exist, in fact growth is slowing down to a point where we can see zero traffic growth within 3-5 years; - investors are not souring on the European telecom sector, European operators being on par in terms of attractiveness with operators in other geographies. This is a key consideration as we get into the final stretch of road towards the DNA: changes in policy and regulation must be based on market realities, not narratives that serve only certain players. I was in Brussels this morning presenting the key findings on a Euractiv panel, and I'm looking forward to the subsequent conversations. The study can be found here: https://lnkd.in/dhKhQJNv #telecoms #policy #regulation #ccia #dna