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Global battery markets are growing strongly – and so are the supply risks
…over 20% from 2024, but its economic and strategic significance extends far beyond market size. Batteries are becoming a cornerstone of the automotive sector, a critical source of flexibility for power systems, and an increasingly important source of back-up power for digital infrastructure, including data centres and artificial intelligence.Beyond energy, batteries remain indispensable for a wide range of industrial and strategic applications, from portable electronics and unmanned defence systems to emerging technologies such as humanoid robots. As applications diversify and costs continue to fall, batteries are evolving into a foundational component of modern economies. This shift carries far…
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Copper prices have hit record highs, but smelters face mounting strategic pressures
…The unprecedented price levels have been driven by some important short-term developments, including supply disruptions at several major mines and a build-up of US copper inventories due to tariff uncertainty. But they have also been underpinned by some underlying factors, such as challenges in developing new copper mines and the anticipation of strong demand growth from electrification and artificial intelligence (AI). Lower interest rates, a softer dollar, a broader investor shift into physical assets and significant financial speculation have also amplified upward pressure on prices.The confluence of forces shaping today’s copper market – strong structural demand growth…
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Data centre electricity use surged in 2025, even with tightening bottlenecks driving a scramble for solutions
…on Energy and AI New IEA report explores AI’s growing energy footprint, options for meeting data centre power demand, and impacts on energy affordability, security and wider economy A new report from the IEA assesses how the relationship between energy and artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, drawing on the latest data and analysis and close tracking of technological and economic developments in the AI sector.Building on the IEA’s landmark Energy and AI report from April 2025, the new analysis published today finds that the field has continued to develop at speed. Driven by data centre investments…
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The relationship between energy and AI is evolving rapidly
A lot has happened since the IEA published its landmark report last year on what artificial intelligence could mean for global electricity demand and its potential to reshape how energy systems work. The tech sector has poured hundreds of billions of dollars of additional investment into AI, while the technology itself and the ways in which it’s used have continued to develop rapidly. At the same time, the deployment of AI is increasingly constrained by a range of physical bottlenecks, including for energy, raising questions about the rate at which it can expand in the near term. In this…
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New podcast episode delves into evolving relationship between energy and AI
The latest episode of the IEA’s Everything Energy podcast examines what the complex and critical relationship between energy and artificial intelligence looks like in 2026 and how it could continue to evolve in the years ahead.Now available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, the episode features a conversation with Siddharth Singh and Thomas Spencer, the lead authors of a new IEA report on this subject. Based on the latest data and analysis, they discuss what has changed since they first appeared on the podcast to discuss energy and AI a year ago – from developments in AI technology and how it is used to the…
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Global EV Outlook 2026 Webinar (morning session)
…analysis of the affordability of electric cars and the manufacturing and trade of electric cars, trucks and their batteries, along with a special chapter on automotive technology trends related to software and artificial intelligence. The report is complemented by updated versions of two online tools: the Global EV Data Explorer – which now includes vehicle price data in selected markets – and the Global EV Policy Explorer. These tools allow users to interactively explore EV statistics projections and policy measures worldwide. Following the launch on the morning of 20 May, the Global EV Outlook 2026 will additionally be presented to registered viewers in two separate…
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Breakout session: Technology innovation for resilient electricity grids
…This includes grid-forming inverters, dynamic line rating and high temperature superconducting cables. Other technologies — solid state transformers, E-STATCOMs, long duration energy storage — are highly promising solutions for critical challenges and are in the final stages of testing. Digitalisation and artificial intelligence are enhancing the ability to optimise grid design and operation, including through digital twins.However, in this sector deployment is often slow in comparison to the expected needs in the next decade or more. Sluggish uptake – whether for institutional, market or financial reasons – is a problem: it stymies learning and cost reductions, and it can raise the…
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Global EV Outlook 2026
…this edition includes early monthly data for 2026 and considers potential implications of the crisis for policy and market development. It also includes analysis of the affordability of electric cars and the manufacturing and trade of electric cars, trucks and their batteries, along with a special chapter on automotive technology trends related to software and artificial intelligence.A webinar for stakeholders will take place at 9:30 a.m. Paris time. The IEA's Chief Energy Technology Officer Timur Gül and the report's lead authors will present key findings, after which they will hold an interactive Q&A session…
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Global EV Outlook 2026 Webinar (evening session)
…analysis of the affordability of electric cars and the manufacturing and trade of electric cars, trucks and their batteries, along with a special chapter on automotive technology trends related to software and artificial intelligence. The report is complemented by updated versions of two online tools: the Global EV Data Explorer – which now includes vehicle price data in selected markets – and the Global EV Policy Explorer. These tools allow users to interactively explore EV statistics projections and policy measures worldwide. Following the launch on the morning of 20 May, the Global EV Outlook 2026 will additionally be presented to registered viewers in two separate…
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Scaling Up Demand Flexibility: Launch Webinar
Overview Join the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) for the launch of Scaling Up Demand Flexibility, the latest report from the Digital Demand-Driven Electricity Networks (3DEN) initiative.As electricity demand continues to grow, driven by electrification, cooling, digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence, demand-side flexibility is becoming an increasingly important tool for maintaining reliable, affordable and efficient power systems. Drawing on new analysis based on case studies in South Africa, Thailand and Ireland, the report explores how flexibility can evolve from an emergency response measure into a routine operational capability…