Copper could become the defining materials bottleneck of the energy transition. Demand is set to rise 60% by 2050, while declining ore quality and a lack of new mines threaten a significant supply gap. Can innovation and substitution ease the crunch, or will copper constrain the transition? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Martin Tengler, BloombergNEF’s head of metals mining, to discuss this year’s edition of the flagship “Transition Metals Outlook” report.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Transition Metals Outlook 2026 - https://www.bnef.com/flagships/transition-metals-outlook

Publicly available executive summary - https://about.bnef.com/insights/commodities/transition-metal-outlook/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China is steering its data center boom toward where power is plentiful and cheaper. National computing hubs are concentrating large projects in areas where land, electricity and fiber can be planned together. As capacity more than doubles through 2030, power-intensive computing is increasingly shifting toward North and Northwest China, where electricity is cheaper and renewable supply is abundant. That differs from the more market-led development seen in places such as the US. Established Chinese markets including Shanghai and Beijing remain important for workloads that need to stay close to users. So how is access to power reshaping where China builds its next generation of data centers? On today’s show, Kamala Schelling is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of Asia research, Fauziah Marzuki, to discuss the note “China Data Center Market Prospects.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

China Data Center Market Prospects - https://www.bnef.com/insights/40341

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will enter his fourth term with an energy system transformed by electrification. The country’s rapid wind and solar growth has created a curtailment crisis, weighing on investment and increasing the need for greater grid flexibility and power-market reform. Meanwhile, surging EV sales are boosting local auto manufacturing while threatening future demand for Brazil’s huge biofuels industry. Policy continuity may not be enough to manage these pressures, particularly as the country’s clean-energy transition enters a more complicated phase. So, can Lula develop a new playbook for Brazil’s next wave of electrification? On today’s show, Kamala Schelling is joined by a senior associate from BloombergNEF’s Latin America team, Vinicius Nunes, to review findings from the analyst reaction “Brazil’s Clean-Energy Surge to Test Lula’s Next Term.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Brazil’s Clean-Energy Surge to Test Lula’s Next Term - https://www.bnef.com/analyst-reactions/tnj4zpt96osh00

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.