Susana Schwartz
Day 4 at Davos features Musk, Fink, and Trump
Day 4 of the World Economic Forum had a little less intrigue and drama than the previous days, thanks to the fact attendees were no longer stressed about an imminent military takeover of a NATO nation. AI-centric discussions focused on energy limitations and the need for business leaders to see ROI on their AI investments this year. BlackRock’s Larry Fink predicted continued, ROI-driven growth in the sector, rejecting bubble concerns, and xAI’s Elon Musk emphasized that the AI race is more reliant on electricity production than algorithms, admitting the U.S. trails China in renewable energy, which could lead to producing more chips than can be powered. Separately, U.S. President Trump unveiled his “Board of Peace” and rescinded an invitation to Canadian leader Mark Carney, highlighting the continued clash between “America First” foreign policy and the emergence of a “middle power” strategy to counter the growing global superpowers on sovereignty and advanced technologies that drive economies, like AI. See RCRTech reporting on the WEF kickoff and days one and two, three and now the final day of the World Economic Forum highlights.
Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech
AI Infrastructure Top Stories
World Economic Forum ends: Day 4 at the World Economic Forum wraps up a week of tension as NATO nations realize the profound impact geopolitics can have on AI infrastructure investments and decisions, and AI leaders calling for dialogue.
Alibaba alliance with China’s CNNC: Alibaba has formed a joint venture with China National Nuclear Company (CNNC), marking a rare partnership between a Chinese technology firm and a state-owned nuclear power developer.
JLL discusses DC power constraint: RCRTV Rack-to-RAN talks to JLL’s VP Sean Farney about AI data centers reaching a breaking point in terms of power, scale, and speed, and how a “seller’s market” is driven by hyperscalers.
AI Today: What You Need to Know
Arctic blast strains power grid: The U.S. power grid faces stress as half the United States faces arctic chill. No state wants to repeat what happened in Texas last year, when millions of people were left without power during a grid failure.
Eaton $9.5 billion Boyd bid: Eaton, which focuses on vehicles and eMobility, is moving ahead with $9.5 billion bid for Boyd Thermal, pushing it further into data center cooling and other critical infrastructure tied to power management.
Huang emphasizes skilled trades: Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says the AI boom will create “six-figure salaries” for those building chip factories, highlighting the importance of skilled trade work as AI eliminates white-collar jobs.
Semiconductor market to hit $1 trillion: Omdia report says concentrated demand for memory and logic devices will drive the semiconductor industry to exceed $1 trillion in 2026, the first time the industry has crossed that threshold.
Liquid cooling no longer enough: As AI drives rack densities beyond 100kW, and toward 600kW, air cooling is no longer enough, says Castrol’s Peter Huang and Electronic Cooling Solution’s Bharat Vats in a JSA spot about “heat.”
What to look for in AI integration: When looking for an AI integration partner, leaders “should look for deep domain expertise in their industry, coupled with strong knowledge of enterprise systems and data elements,” says EXL’s Rohit Kapoor.
