Silver isn’t just shining on the charts, it has taken over timelines too. As silver stocks surged this year, the internet did what it does best. Social media erupted with memes, jokes and viral posts, turning market rallies into internet comedy and proving once again that when prices jump, the meme-makers move even faster.Memes featuring Al Pacino to scenes from iconic Hollywood movies such as ‘Scarface’, ‘The Big Short,’ – flooded X as silver delivered dazzling returns – soaring over 150% so far this year, ...

“By contrast, AI-related investment is still gaining momentum across all sectors. Western Europe remains well positioned here, with strong research and development capabilities and deep engineering talent pools, which continue to attract international companies seeking to establish advanced research, data and engineering hubs.”"Industrial projects in Western Europe are likely to continue decreasing, but the impact is now spreading to other activity types. Green tech and renewable-energy investments, which w ...

Pure Data Centres Group (Pure DC), backed by Oaktree, will invest more than €1bn ($1.17bn) in the Netherlands to develop a 78MW data centre campus in Westpoort, Amsterdam. The campus has been fully leased to a hyperscale customer, which Pure DC says makes it the year’s largest stand-alone hyperscale data centre lease in Europe. The company has acquired the land on a long leasehold from the Port of Amsterdam, secured planning permissions and arranged 100MVA of power through a private substation. The pla ...

Bain is considering options including bringing in fresh backers for Singapore-based Bridge Data Centres to help it to raise cash https://t.co/SHmWE727IM ...

Summary of Key Points from the Asia Telecom Sector Conference Call Industry Overview - **Industry**: Data Centre Sector in Asia, with a focus on ASEAN region [1][2] Core Insights 1. **Capacity vs. Demand**: There is a significant gap between announced data centre capacity and actual operational supply, with demand growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 20% [2][3] - Example: In Johor, Malaysia, approximately 8 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity announced, but only about 700 megawatts (MW) operational, which is less than 10% [2] - Japan's planned facilities for 2028 are now expected to be completed by 2033 [2] 2. **Infrastructure Bottlenecks**: Persistent infrastructure issues, including water, power generation, transmission, and regulatory hurdles, are constraining growth and creating a competitive environment [2][3] 3. **AI vs. Cloud Computing**: While AI is a growth catalyst, cloud computing remains the primary driver of demand in the region, sustaining a robust CAGR of around 20%+ [3][5] - AI deployments are significant in select markets but are less predictable and time-sensitive compared to traditional cloud workloads [3] 4. **Cost Dynamics**: AI-focused data centres can be built at approximately 60% of the cost of traditional facilities due to lower redundancy needs and cheaper land options [5] 5. **Competitive Landscape**: The competitive dynamics are shifting rapidly, with an increase in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the sector, driven by hyperscalers' preference for large-scale global providers [5] 6. **Emerging Trends**: The rise of "neo clouds," which are smaller, niche platforms offering specialized AI or cloud services, is beginning to take up more capacity [3] Additional Considerations - **Regulatory Risks**: Increased regulatory risks, particularly concerning higher spectrum prices, pose challenges for telecommunications companies in the APAC region [6] - **Investment Opportunities**: The ongoing consolidation in the data centre market presents potential investment opportunities, especially for firms capable of navigating the evolving landscape [5] This summary encapsulates the critical insights and trends discussed during the conference call, highlighting the challenges and opportunities within the data centre sector in Asia.

Group 1: Data Centres and AI Boom - Data centres are considered the back office of the AI boom, but the sector involves heavy upfront capital expenditure (capex) and uncertain initial utilization, which can negatively impact profitability [1] - Replacing storage hardware is costly and frequent, leading to significant depreciation as a cash cost, distinguishing it from other infrastructure investments [1] Group 2: Market Valuation and Stock Picking - Indian markets have become complacent regarding high valuations, making selective stock picking crucial [2] - There is no sector-wide valuation comfort, but individual stocks within sectors may still present attractive opportunities [2] - The market is expected to remain range-bound with a mild negative bias due to foreign institutional investor (FII) selling, fresh equity supply, and modest earnings growth [2] Group 3: Investment Themes - A blend of growth and value investment strategies is recommended, indicating that this is not a market for index buying [5][7] - Strong opportunities are identified in green energy, particularly in local solar cell manufacturing, which is seen as a significant structural shift [6][9] - In the banking sector, select banks like Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, and IDFC First Bank are highlighted for their growth visibility and reasonable valuations, with improved liquidity and managed deposit repricing [6][9]

Core Insights - Spain's ACS is nearing a partnership valued at 23 billion euros ($26.8 billion) with BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners to develop data centers [1] Company Summary - ACS is actively pursuing a significant investment opportunity in the data center sector through collaboration with a major investment firm [1] - The partnership with BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners indicates ACS's strategic focus on infrastructure development [1] Industry Summary - The data center industry is experiencing substantial investment interest, as evidenced by the large-scale partnership between ACS and BlackRock [1] - This collaboration highlights the growing demand for data infrastructure, driven by increasing digitalization and data consumption [1]

A consortium comprising of KKR and Singtel is in talks with banks for a loan of around $3.8 billion to support its proposed purchase of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, according to sources https://t.co/xIW90Y8NKE ...

Core Viewpoint - KKR & Co and Singapore Telecommunications are in advanced negotiations to acquire over 80% of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, aiming for full ownership for more than S$5 billion (approximately $3.9 billion) [1] Group 1 - The acquisition would significantly enhance KKR & Co's and Singapore Telecommunications' presence in the data center sector [1] - The deal reflects the growing demand for data center services amid increasing digitalization and cloud computing trends [1] - This transaction is part of a broader trend of consolidation in the data center industry as companies seek to scale operations and improve service offerings [1]

Group 1 - Spending on new UK data centres is projected to reach £10 billion annually by 2029, representing a more than five-fold increase from £1.75 billion spent in 2023 [1] - Investment in the UK data centre sector is being driven by AI demand, with tech giants expected to invest £25 billion over the next five years and nearly 100 new data centre projects planned [2] - The largest planned data centre project in the UK is a $13 billion "hyperscale" facility in North East England proposed by Blackstone, indicating a shift in development beyond London [3] Group 2 - The surge in global data centre demand and projects has been significantly influenced by the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, as investments in generative AI are anticipated to transform work and life [4]