Category: Business

LONDON/HOUSTON/SINGAPORE, June 18: The next generation of AI agents could consume between 10,000 and 40,000 times more computing power per task than today’s chatbots. That pressure is pushing some of the world’s largest technology companies to consider putting their data centres in space. A new report from Wood Mackenzie finds they face a significant cost problem to get there.

Global data centre power demand stands at 460 TWh in 2026, equivalent to half of Japan’s total power generation. Wood Mackenzie forecasts that figure will reach 1,280 TWh by 2030 and 3,700 TWh by 2040, a 703% increase from current levels, growing at 16% per year. The United States and China together account for 78% of the global planned data centre pipeline.

On the ground, that pipeline is running into real constraints. Grid connections in the United States can take up to seven years. Gas turbine equipment faces long wait times through 2030. In dry regions, cooling systems are competing for limited water supplies. Construction costs are rising from higher labour and material costs. These bottlenecks, Wood Mackenzie concludes, are driving serious exploration of orbital data centres.

The economics are not yet close.

A hypothetical 1 GW orbital data centre would cost an estimated US$170 billion, more than three times the equivalent terrestrial facility, with launch and satellite costs accounting for approximately 60% of that total. To bring orbital costs to parity with terrestrial alternatives would require a 70% reduction. That is achievable, the report notes, only if the historical trend of exponential cost declines in space launch continues.

There is reason to think it might. Global orbital launch attempts reached 324 in 2025, a 25% increase over 2024, with commercial operators conducting 70% of those attempts. Launch costs have already fallen approximately 90% with current-generation reusable rockets compared to their expendable predecessors. A record 4,517 satellites were deployed into orbit in 2025, 58% more than the previous year, with 87% owned by private entities.

SpaceX and xAI have announced ambitious plans to put 100 GW of orbital computing capacity into space annually, a figure ten times the combined announced pipeline of every other orbital data centre developer in the world. Non-US companies account for less than 0.5 GW of total planned orbital capacity, reflecting how concentrated this emerging sector is among US-based firms. Despite the higher costs, launch activities across the top five companies are expected to begin accelerating between 2027 and 2028.

Space launch costs have seen exponential cost declines of over 90%

Source: Wood Mackenzie

Spending on terrestrial capacity has not slowed in the meantime. Anthropic recently committed US$ 45 billion over three years to SpaceX for access to its 300 MW Colossus 1 terrestrial data centre, deploying 220,000 Nvidia GPUs. Wood Mackenzie forecasts US$ 9 trillion in cumulative capital expenditure between 2026 and 2040 to build approximately 395 GW of new terrestrial data centre capacity under its base case.

“The constraints on terrestrial data centres are genuine, and they are not going away quickly,” said Robert Liew, Research Director at Wood Mackenzie. “But putting a data centre in orbit still costs at least three times as much as building one on the ground. That gap does not close without sustained and dramatic progress on launch costs. We forecast US$ 9 trillion of terrestrial data centre investment between now and 2040. That is where capital goes first. Orbital data centres are a serious long-term proposition, but right now they remain a bet on the cost curve.”

Wood Mackenzie’s base case energy transition outlook does not include large-scale orbital data centres. No gigawatt-scale orbital or terrestrial facility currently exists. The report concludes that terrestrial build-out will be driven by necessity, while orbital data centres remain, for now, a technology preference.

New Delhi, June 18: India’s electricity demand is projected to grow by up to 7% in the financial year 2026–27, supported by robust economic activity, industrial expansion, and rising household consumption, according to a recent industry report.

The anticipated growth reflects increasing energy requirements across manufacturing, infrastructure development, and the services sector, alongside continued urbanization and electrification trends across the country.

The report highlights that sustained economic momentum, coupled with rising adoption of electric appliances, digital infrastructure, and mobility electrification, is expected to further drive power consumption in the coming years.

Experts note that India’s power sector is undergoing a structural transformation, with growing emphasis on renewable energy integration, grid modernization, and capacity expansion to meet future demand efficiently and sustainably.

The projected demand growth underscores the need for continued investment in generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure to ensure reliable and affordable electricity supply for all consumer segments.

Industry observers believe that managing this demand surge while maintaining sustainability goals will be a key priority for policymakers and energy providers in the years ahead.

Mumbai, June 18: India’s benchmark equity indices closed higher on the back of robust buying in public sector banking, healthcare, and realty stocks, reflecting continued investor confidence in key sectors of the economy.

The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty ended the session in positive territory, supported by broad-based gains across several sectors. Public sector banks emerged as major contributors to the rally, while healthcare and real estate stocks also witnessed strong investor interest.

Market participants remained encouraged by sector-specific growth prospects, resilient domestic economic indicators, and expectations of sustained corporate earnings performance. The positive momentum helped offset cautious sentiment stemming from mixed global market trends.

Analysts noted that buying activity in banking stocks reflected optimism around credit growth and financial sector stability, while healthcare shares benefited from favorable industry fundamentals. Realty stocks also gained ground amid expectations of continued demand and infrastructure-led growth.

The day’s performance underscores the resilience of India’s equity markets, with investors continuing to focus on sectors that are expected to benefit from economic expansion and policy support.

Market observers will continue to monitor domestic macroeconomic developments, corporate earnings, and global economic trends for further direction in the coming sessions.

June 18: New analysis of more than 29,000 virtual office and registered address subscriptions has revealed that Britain experiences an annual spring startup surge. March has now overtaken January as the most popular month to start a business. The research was undertaken by Hoxton Mix, a virtual office and registered address solutions provider based in London. 

March generated 2,908 signups, making it the busiest month of the year consecutively, compared to December, the lowest performing month, with just 1,879 signups. In total, March has 55% more registered subscribers than the year’s quietest month. This suggests that founders are bucking the “New Year, New Me” trend, choosing not to launch their businesses immediately after the festive period. Instead, they’re spending the first few months planning and validating ideas before officially launching in the Spring months. 

Following behind March (2,908 signups), May is the second most popular month with 2,738 subscriptions and April is third with 2,678 in total. Launching in spring lets founders make the most of the new tax year starting in April, providing a natural milestone for founders who have invested in financial planning and efficiency. Finally, March, April and May often bring improved market conditions due to consumer purchase activity and better trading conditions before the peak summer months. 

Here are the most popular months to start a business in the UK: 

Chris Sees, Hoxton Mix’ CEO comments: 

“Many people assume that January is likely the most popular month to start a business because it’s tied to New Year’s resolutions and a fresh career start. However, Hoxton Mix virtual office and registered address data suggests otherwise. Instead, entrepreneurs are typically spending the first few months of the year planning and preparing, then by March  those plans convert into business launches creating a clear spring startup surge across the UK. The strong performance of March, April and May suggests founders feel more confident launching when the New Year is underway, at the start of the new tax year and when market conditions are picking up.” 

Knowledge-led sectors dominate virtual office and registered address demand, with Information and Communication and Professional Services combining for 17,180 signups, equating to almost 60% of all signups recorded. Specifically, Information and Communication is the UK’s largest startup sector, generating 8,965 signups. This is almost 9% more than Professional, Scientific & Technical businesses (8,215).

March emerged as the UK’s most popular month overall for starting a business, however, the data reveals significant differences across sectors. Information, communication and professional services businesses are most likely to launch in early spring (March), whilst construction and administrative businesses were most likely to launch later in May, and real estate companies in August. 

While there is no single “perfect time” to launch a business, Hoxton Mix’s insights reveal clear patterns in how today’s entrepreneurs approach virtual offices and registered addresses, highlighting broader trends in company formation and business creation. Britain’s entrepreneurial spirit remains strong and spring has become the season when many founders choose to turn their plans into reality.

Mumbai, June 18: The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has outlined a range of regulatory, technological, and operational risks in its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) filed in connection with its proposed initial public offering (IPO).

According to the filing, the exchange faces potential challenges arising from evolving regulatory frameworks, technological disruptions, cybersecurity threats, and the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence across financial markets. These factors could affect operational resilience, compliance requirements, and long-term business performance.

The DRHP also notes that fluctuations in trading volumes and overall market activity remain significant business risks. A sustained decline in trading participation across cash and derivatives segments could impact transaction-based revenues and profitability.

Additionally, the exchange highlighted the need for continuous investments in technology infrastructure to maintain market integrity, system reliability, and data security amid a rapidly evolving financial ecosystem.

The disclosures form part of standard risk-factor reporting designed to provide prospective investors with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and uncertainties that could influence the exchange’s future performance following its planned public listing.

The proposed IPO is expected to be closely watched by market participants, given NSE’s position as one of the world’s largest exchanges by trading activity and its critical role in India’s capital markets infrastructure.

June 18 : New research by re:sustain, the science-based technology platform which optimises the energy consumption of real estate assets, highlights the challenges posed by European insurance asset managers due to investment in buildings with poor energy efficiency.  Re:sustain surveyed 80 European real estate insurance asset managers in the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain and Italy, with a combined AUM of €117 billion.

Over half (52%) of respondents said that between 10% and 30% of their commercial real estate portfolio has poor energy consumption i.e. that which is materially above expected energy benchmarks for that asset type and location. One third (34%) said between 30-50% of their portfolio was performing above expected benchmarks and 14% said that more than 50% of assets in their portfolio are poor performers.

Devaluing assets

As a result, all respondents have stranded assets in their portfolios – properties experiencing reduced capital value, leasing or future liquidity due to energy performance.  Over two fifths (43%) have seen their stranded assets decrease in value by 20-30% over the past three years and a further 31% said they had seen values decline by 30-40%.  Furthermore, over the next five years, 30% expect to see the number of stranded assets to increase by 5-10% and 35% predict an increase of between 10% and 25%.

However, the majority (96%) of those surveyed have plans in place to improve the energy efficiency of their real estate portfolio, with 78% targeting energy consumption reductions of between 10% and 30% across their portfolios over the next three years.

The challenges

The complexities of managing and coordinating landlords and tenants is cited as the most pressing challenge facing European insurance asset managers investing in real estate when it comes to improving the energy efficiency of their real estate assets.  According to the research, this is even more difficult to navigate than access to capital, the significant investment needed for modernizing systems like HVAC, lighting, and building management systems and the impact of increasing construction costs. 

When asked about the greatest challenge they face with tenants when it comes to driving improvements in the building’s energy consumption, 75% of respondents cited getting tenant buy-in for these changes, followed by changing tenant behaviours to help reduce energy use (58%). A third (34%) said the greatest challenge is keeping business disruption to a minimum for occupiers and 29% cited coordinating upgrades in multi-tenant buildings.

Over two thirds (68%) of respondents said that business disruption to their tenants or occupiers is such a significant barrier that it has become a reason not to proceed with building upgrades and improvements. 

Technology offers quick and lower cost ways to improve energy performance

When asked about the plans their business has to tackle energy efficiency across its real estate assets, 75% of respondents said that technology which can optimise a building’s systems to reduce energy usage remotely will have the greatest impact, ahead of investment in new building management systems (61%) and new lighting and HVAC systems (50%).  

When asked the main advantages of technology when it comes to improving energy efficiency of buildings, 74% of respondents said it delivers faster results than retrofits or upgrades, 60% said it is less disruptive – and 59% say it is cheaper than upgrading or retrofitting.

 Almost half (49%) of insurance asset managers say technology helps to protect their assets’ value, while 46% say it is easier to secure tenant buy in compared to upgrading a property. 

The quick and impactful results delivered by the effective deployment of technology is endorsed by research which showed that almost seven in 10 (69%) of insurance asset managers in Europe with real estate investments plan to increase the amount they spend on technology over the next three years to improve energy efficiency across their portfolios.

Commenting on the research Katie Whipp, Chief Business Officer at re:sustain, said:

“Our research highlights that the extent of real estate assets affected by poor energy performance is no longer a future risk – it is already being priced into asset values.

“The findings make clear that a material share of portfolios are underperforming on energy, and that this is translating directly into value erosion and increasing liquidity risk. For insurance asset managers in particular, this creates a clear tension between protecting long-term income and managing near-term execution risk.

“The challenge is not a lack of intent or capital – it is the complexity of delivering change in live, multi-tenant environments without disrupting income.  As a result, we are seeing a shift toward solutions that can improve performance quickly, with minimal operational impact. The ability to optimise assets in use – without major intervention – is becoming critical to protecting value and maintaining portfolio resilience.”

re:sustain was founded in 2021 by scientists who recognised that while data was being collected about real estate energy consumption, it wasn’t improving usage. To solve this problem, the re:sustain team developed innovative technology which uses collected building management system data to create a highly calibrated digital twin of each building – an accurate model that reflects real asset performance. This dynamic thermal model allows for precise simulations and analyses, eliminating guesswork and enabling targeted interventions.

The proprietary re:sustain engine processes the digital twin data and the BMS data to identify inefficiencies and improvement opportunities, whilst calculating potential carbon savings. This remote approach allows for targeted optimisations and detailed mechanical insights on existing systems, reducing energy use, carbon emissions, and operational costs in support of sustainability goals—all without requiring Capex from asset owners or business interruption for occupiers.

To date, buildings using re:sustain technology have enjoyed 37% average annual energy savings in a process that takes just four to six weeks to implement.

New Delhi, June 18: Electronics manufacturing has become India’s third-largest goods export category, highlighting the country’s growing strength in high-value manufacturing and global supply chains, according to the Union Minister.

The Minister noted that rapid expansion in electronics production, supported by government incentives, improved infrastructure, and rising global demand, has significantly boosted export performance in recent years.

He said the sector’s growth reflects India’s progress toward becoming a major global electronics hub, with increasing contributions from mobile phones, components, and other electronic goods.

Officials added that continued policy support and investment inflows are expected to further strengthen India’s position in the global electronics market and drive export-led growth in the coming years.

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 18 June 2026: AD Ports Group (ADX: ADPORTS), a leading global enabler of integrated trade, logistics, and industry, today announced that Al Faya Dry Port has been assigned UN/LOCODE (AEALF) by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), further strengthening the port’s integration into the global multimodal trade and logistics ecosystem.

The globally recognised UN/LOCODE system is used across the international shipping, logistics, and trade sectors to standardise location identification, facilitate customs processes, and enhance the efficiency of global supply chains. The issuance of UN/LOCODE (AEALF) establishes Al Faya Dry Port as an internationally recognised inland logistics hub, supporting more efficient cargo movement across interconnected ports, inland facilities, and multimodal trade corridors. 

Saif Al Mazrouei, Chief Executive Officer – Ports Cluster, AD Ports Group, said: “Securing the UN/LOCODE for Al Faya Dry Port from UNECE marks a significant milestone in further integrating the UAE into the global trade and transport network. This designation strengthens connectivity between our ports, inland logistics hubs, and multimodal trade corridors, while enabling more efficient cargo movement, streamlined customs processes, and enhanced supply chain resilience. As global trade continues to evolve, initiatives such as this highlight the importance of internationally recognised standards and digital trade integration in supporting seamless, future-ready logistics networks and reinforcing the UAE’s position as a leading global trade and logistics hub.”

The designation enables customs declarations to be processed by Abu Dhabi Customs at a single approved facility while accelerating cargo movement between connected logistics hubs under the same customs framework without requiring additional customs documentation between ports in Abu Dhabi. It also supports seamless bonded cargo movement and the issuance of Through Bills of Lading, enabling Al Faya Dry Port to serve as both an export origination point and a final destination point for imports.

Strategically located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Al Faya Dry Port is digitally integrated with Khalifa Port. The facility provides handling services for customs-controlled goods under Abu Dhabi Customs, advanced container handling capabilities, and integrated logistics solutions designed to support growing cargo volumes and strengthen multimodal trade connectivity across the UAE.

This strategic step underscores AD Ports Group’s commitment to developing future-ready logistics infrastructure and enabling smarter, more resilient trade flows through the seamless integration of ports, inland logistics facilities, and digital trade solutions.

June 18 : This Father’s Day, Spectra at The Leela Palace Chennai presents “Around the World with Dad”, a brunch inspired by the flavours, traditions and memories that often accompany life’s most meaningful relationships.

Set against the backdrop of the Bay of Bengal, the experience takes guests on a culinary journey across continents through a series of thoughtfully curated stations. From London’s “Hops & Batter” Fish & Chips and the wood-fired grills of “Dad’s Backyard” Smoke House, to handmade pastas at “Dad’s Pasta Workshop” and comforting ramen bowls inspired by “My Father’s Recipe”, each offering is designed to evoke a sense of nostalgia while celebrating the universal language of food.

Closer to home, “My Dad’s Backwater Cruise” pays homage to Kerala’s beloved flavours with Fish Nirvana and Appam, while “The Mentor’s Slider” draws inspiration from familiar Sunday morning breakfasts. The meal concludes on a playful note with “The Cigar & Churro Block”, a nod to the classic Mexican dessert.

Blending global flavours with personal storytelling, the brunch offers families an opportunity to celebrate Father’s Day over shared meals, cherished memories and new experiences.

Where: Spectra, The Leela Palace Chennai
When: 21 June 2026 | 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM