Nassos Stylianou

A beige quote graphic with text: “A certain risk is if we don’t have the compute, we will not be able to generate the revenue or make the models at this kind of scale.” — Sam Altman, OpenAI chief executive.

Big Tech is spending billions on US data centres to fuel the AI race. But these grand plans face a problem: access to power. Estimates show the industry could be 40% short of the power it needs by 2028. Will this be the stumbling block that bursts the AI bubble?

An #FTEdit 🧵on AI’s power problem 👇

A US map showing hundreds of operating and significantly larger planned data centres clustered along major power lines, with large concentrations in Virginia, Texas and the Midwest.

A grid of coloured power icons illustrates that planned US grid upgrades can supply only about 25GW of the electricity needed for new data centres over the next three years, not enough to cover the 44GW of demand, leaving a large gap.

Small charts for nine US grid regions show data centre power demand climbing sharply toward 2030 while spare grid capacity remains flat or grows slowly, with the gap between new demand and spare grid capavity growing in key regions like PJM and Ercot in Texas.

A stacked area chart shows US data-centre electricity demand rising from around 200TWh in 2025 steeply to more than 600TWh in 2035, with natural gas making up the largest share of expected generation

NEW: The power crunch threatening America’s AI ambitions

Big tech is spending hundreds of billions on data centres in the US to fuel the development of artificial intelligence. Our latest visual story explores the main challenge that these grand plans face: access to power.
ig.ft.com/ai-power/

How mega batteries are unlocking an energy revolution Vast battery units are shoring up grids and extending the use of clean power

NEW: How mega batteries are unlocking an energy revolution

Massive shipping containers packed with powerful batteries are shoring up grids & extending the use of clean power

ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...

Latest visual story w/ @samlearner.bsky.social @inari-ta.bsky.social @samjoiner.bsky.social

Our new game puts readers in charge of a fictional Premier League club, tasked with balancing the books & delivering on the pitch

We’ve looked at how people have been getting on and guess what? Perhaps running a PL club is harder than it looks

on.ft.com/3HM8iur

Check out the game if you haven’t👇

The booming business of Trump’s deportation flights Companies are jostling for billions of dollars to fly immigrant detainees out of the US

ICE plans to 6x its current budget for immigrant transportation and deportations. The money offers a potential windfall for a few contractors and charter airlines — some with close ties to the Trump campaign. Yet the system is already under strain, with significant concerns for detainees' safety: 🧵

The Football Game: how financial rules changed the Premier League Profit and sustainability regulations are dividing clubs and fans alike. A new FT game challenges players to navigate the restraints and lead their club to glory

We also explain the reasons behind turning Premier League finances into a news game on.ft.com/3JKQwbk

Tons of fun building this with an awesome team of Dan Clarke @samjoiner.bsky.social @joshnoble.bsky.social Chesca Kirkland & @carolinenevitt.bsky.social. The lovely illustrations done by Samar Haddad

Can you run a Premier League football club? Step into the boardroom, navigate profit and sustainability rules and guide your club to glory

We've built a football game and it's free to play!

Can you run a Premier League club? Step into the boardroom, navigate financial regulations and guide your team to glory in our new game.

👉 ft.com/football-game ⚽️💸

The second piece in our AI series explores how the growing energy demand for training and running artificial intelligence models is driving increased investment in fossil fuels - and how accounting techniques distract from the surge in tech company data centre emissions
on.ft.com/4lkAjXN

Brilliant team effort on this story with @samlearner.bsky.social @tim.fo @rafeuddin.ft.com @ian-bott.bsky.social @carolinenevitt.bsky.social @samjoiner.bsky.social and Dan Clark

New visual story: Inside the relentless race for AI capacity

The quest for superintelligence is spurring a data centre boom — but critics question the cost, environmental impact and whether it is all needed

ig.ft.com/ai-data-cent...

NEW VISUAL INVESTIGATION: Inside America’s booming immigration detention industry

Our analysis has identified a number of facilities housing hundreds more people than they are designed to hold. Lawyers and detainees told the FT people have been sleeping on the floor.

👉 ig.ft.com/us-immigrati...

Inside America’s booming immigration detention industry The enormous US deportation programme is enriching companies as detainees complain of poor treatment

NEW: Even before Donald Trump began his mass deportation plans, the US had the world's largest immigration detention system - 85% run privately.

Record numbers are now being held and detainees, lawyers and relatives have spoken of poor conditions.

🔗 ig.ft.com/us-immigrati...

Story with @upyorkshire.ft.com @inari-ta.bsky.social sky.social @janatausch.bsky.social @samlearner.bsky.social, Dan Clark &
@gakuito.bsky.social

New visual investigation: Inside America's booming immigration detention industry where record levels of incarceration are leading to deteriorating conditions, legal representatives & detainees say. ⁦

ig.ft.com/us-immigrati...

How Xi sparked China’s electricity revolution [FREE TO READ] Beijing’s aggressive pursuit of energy self-sufficiency could give it the upper hand in the trade war with the US

Read the full piece on.ft.com/3EWY5Kd, with @janatausch.bsky.social's brilliant visuals and Ed's excellent reporting

Satellite images show four major clean energy projects abroad backed by China: a hydroelectric power station in Tanzania, wind farms in Uzbekistan, a large solar park in the UAE, and a battery gigafactory under construction in Hungary. These highlight China's global investment in renewable energy.

China is increasingly exporting its clean technology, engineering, supply chain and financing capacities, investing in hundreds of projects overseas

Four maps of China showing the rapid expansion of the high-speed rail network from 2005 to 2020. The network begins in the northeast, extends to southern cities by 2010, reaches western provinces like Xinjiang by 2015, and becomes dense nationwide by 2020, totaling over 37,000 km of rail.

The path to electrification has also been supercharged by the rapid expansion of the country’s modern rail network, especially since 2010

Chart showing Chinese electric vehicle (EV) market share in 2024 across multiple countries. China dominates EV sales in Brazil, Thailand, and Indonesia, holding over 75% market share in each. In Europe, market share is lower but still present; Germany has 4%, the UK 7%. The US and Canada show 0% due to tariffs

The most obvious manifestation of China’s energy revolution is the country’s electric vehicle boom. Domestic EV sales are expected to overtake ICE cars this year, but Chinese electric vehicles are also dominating key emerging markets in southeast Asia and Latin America

Stacked bar chart comparing global clean tech manufacturing capacity by country in 2023 and 2030. China leads in all five technologies—solar PV, batteries, wind, electrolysers, and heat pumps—with especially large dominance in solar and batteries. Other regions see modest growth, particularly in electrolysers and heat pumps.

Beijing has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the clean technology sector, where manufacturing capacity massively outstrips domestic demand - leading to stunning price falls but also allegations from trading partners of unfair state support

Despite a surge in renewable capacity additions, China’s power sector emissions reached a new high last year, driven by a rise in coal consumption. But its advances in electrification mean it stands to make significant progress in cutting emissions if it begins to phase out coal.

Line chart showing the electricity share of final energy consumption from 1970 to around 2022 for multiple countries. The chart highlights that China has experienced a steep and continuous rise in electrification, surpassing Europe and the US (in teal), which have remained relatively flat since around 2000.

Three-panel chart showing electricity use rising in China across buildings, industry, and transport. China surpasses or catches up to Europe and the US in all sectors, with especially sharp growth in transport after 2010.

China leads the latest global technology revolution in electrification and renewable energy, surging ahead of the US and EU, according to analysts from @rockymtninst.bsky.social and other independent research groups

How Xi sparked China’s electricity revolution [FREE TO READ] Beijing’s aggressive pursuit of energy self-sufficiency could give it the upper hand in the trade war with the US

China is on its way to becoming the world’s first major 'electrostate', with a growing share of its energy coming from electricity and an economy increasingly driven by clean technologies 📈🌏🧵
w/ @janatausch.bsky.social and Ed White

on.ft.com/3EWY5Kd

NEW from the team: another look at the supply chain behind the iPhone and why it would be impractical to manufacture in the US: ig.ft.com/us-iphone/

Focus, for a moment, on all of the goods that remain hit by Trump's massive new tariff barrage.

Excellent explainer and data viz from @nassosstylianou.bsky.social et al

Updated: While Trump has now excluded smartphones and laptops, the two highest-value imports from China, from his “reciprocal” tariffs, 46 of the 50 items the US most relies on China for are still subject to the levies.

www.ft.com/content/ec96...

Bubble chart showing U.S. reliance on products made in China in 2024, with bubble size representing import value in billions of dollars and position showing import percentage. Key imports include video game consoles, smartphones, and laptops (each with over 66% reliance), with notable categories including machinery/electrical, plastics, and textiles. Largest bubbles are for laptops ($33bn) and video game consoles.

NEW: More than 75% of smartphones, video game consoles, microwave ovens and toys shipped to the US in 2024 were produced in China

We looked at the products Americans rely most on China for and spoke to experts about the possible impact of Trump's tariffs on US consumers

www.ft.com/content/ec96...

A chart showing percentage of goods imported from China in 2024, sized by value in billions of dollars. Categories include machinery, electronics, textiles, and more. Key highlights include 90% of microwaves, over 80% of smartphones, and 66% of laptops imported into the US coming from China.

New: More than 3/4 of the mobile phones, games consoles, food processors, electric fans and toys shipped to the US last year were made in China.

The products are among more than 50 items with an import value above $1bn subject to Trump’s 125% tariffs.

Free-to-read link: on.ft.com/3Ei8ujf

A brilliant team effort to get this over the line @inari-ta.bsky.social @samjoiner.bsky.social Dan Clark, Steve Bernard and @digitalcampbell.ft.com together with some great reporting from @financialtimes.com colleagues across China

World map showing cobalt, nickel, and lithium mines, with many highlighted as part- or majority-owned by Chinese companies across Africa, South America, Asia, and Australia.

Satellite image of Weda Bay, Indonesia, showing a large industrial complex, mined areas, village, airport, and loading dock. The site is one of the world’s largest nickel deposits, with mining operations linked to Chinese interests.

Satellite images of lithium mining sites in Canada, Zimbabwe, Argentina, and Australia, where Chinese companies have made investments. Each image shows large-scale industrial operations, including evaporation ponds and open-pit mines.

Global map showing locations of battery-related refineries and factories. China has the highest concentration of refineries and factories producing cathodes, anodes, and battery cells. Other facilities are scattered across the US, Europe, South America, and parts of Asia and Africa.

And highlight the battery sector as an example of China’s prowess in capturing industries and squeezing efficiencies until foreign rivals can no longer keep up