Dramatic change needed to prevent AI energy crisis
Dramatic change may be needed to prevent an AI-fuelled energy crisis.
New data highlights the incredible demand for data centres and the expected surge in power use.
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Business Times
3 days ago
- Business Times
Broadcom gives tepid forecast, missing loftiest expectations
BROADCOM, a chip supplier to companies like Alphabet and Apple, gave a lackluster revenue forecast for the current quarter, suggesting that the AI spending frenzy isn't as strong as some investors anticipated. Sales will be about US$15.8 billion in the fiscal third quarter, which ends Aug 3, the company said in a statement on Thursday. Though analysts had estimated US$15.7 billion on average, some projections ranged US$1 billion higher than that figure, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The outlook signals that investor expectations for Broadcom's AI-fuelled growth run were too aggressive. Like Nvidia, the company is seen as a key beneficiary of a surge in artificial intelligence spending. Data centre companies rely on its custom chips and networking components to handle AI computing workloads. Broadcom's stock fell about 2 per cent in extended trading. The shares had earlier closed at US$259.93 in New York, leaving them up 12 per cent this year. Broadcom shares had climbed more than 30 per cent since the company delivered its previous results in March, bringing its market value to US$1.2 trillion. Much of the gain came in the past month — fuelled by signs that heavy spending on artificial intelligence gear is poised to continue in the coming months. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up That made it hard for Broadcom to impress investors, even with numbers that generally topped estimates. In the second quarter, which ended May 4, sales rose 20 per cent to US$15 billion. Profit, excluding some items, was US$1.58 a share. Analysts had estimated revenue of about US$15 billion and earnings of US$1.56 a share. Chief executive officer Hock Tan said AI-related revenue grew 46 per cent to US$4.4 billion in the period, driven by demand for networking equipment. Sales from AI will total US$5.1 billion in the current period, he said. Analysts estimated US$4.79 billion, with some projections as high as US$5.29 billion. Broadcom investors have focused lately on its custom design business, which is benefiting from sales to clients who want components to run AI workloads. The company also makes switch chips to direct traffic between the pricey graphics processors that train and run AI models. The chipmaker just began shipping the latest version of its Tomahawk switch, which it said can replace six of the previous version. Broadcom also makes connectivity components for the iPhone and sells virtualization software for running networks. Tan has built one of the most valuable companies in the chip industry through a string of acquisitions. He also has assembled a software unit that's now approaching the scale of Broadcom's semiconductor operations. That reach makes the company's forecasts a bellwether for demand over a broad swath of the technology industry. BLOOMBERG
India Today
18-05-2025
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(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated May 26, 2025)On May 7, after India struck terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan, Islamabad responded by lifting a 15-month-old ban on X (formerly Twitter). Though the Pakistan military's official handle remained dormant, affiliated proxies sprang into action. A deepfake video of Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar appearing to apologise for the strikes went viral. The Fact Check Unit of India's Press Information Bureau (PIB) quickly debunked it. In a counterstrike of sorts, another clip went viral, showing Pakistan military spokesperson Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry admitting the loss of their two JF-17 jets—shared nearly 700,000 times on X before it was exposed as a fabrication by the media watchdog battle during Operation Sindoor wasn't fought solely with fighter jets, missiles and drones. 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The modern equivalent is cognitive warfare—manipulating narratives to influence audiences, with social media acting as a powerful WEAPONISING THE FEEDMisattributed visuals surged online. Footage from the Israel-Gaza conflict was rebranded as fresh Indian air strikes. Old Indian Air Force (IAF) crash videos resurfaced as proof of Pakistani retaliation. Claims of multiple blasts at an air base in Jammu were accompanied by an image from the 2021 Kabul airport attack. A wildfire was pitched as a Pakistani missile strike on a military base in Amritsar. Even a routine farm fire in Jalandhar was reimagined as a drone misinformation wasn't limited to visuals. Fabricated advisories also caused panic. One WhatsApp forward, posing as a ministry of defence alert, warned of imminent war. Another urged citizens to disable location services on their mobile phones to prevent the enemy from identifying densely populated 'ironclad friend' China joined the fray too. China Daily, a Central Propaganda Department-run English newspaper, falsely claimed three Indian jets had crashed in Kashmir, using a photo from 2019. Fake reports elsewhere included absurd claims—like the Indian military mistakenly bombing Amritsar from India, Pakistan and China have long invested in cognitive warfare capabilities. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces, has morphed into a state-run production house, churning out military-themed music videos and dramas to shape public perception. During the Operation Sindoor fallout, ISPR briefings were often held late at night—timed for western media cycles. By the time India responded, much of the damage was often already done. THE COUNTER-OFFENSIVEAmid this digital fog of war, India scrambled to launch a counterattack. 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Sky News AU
09-05-2025
- Sky News AU
Dramatic change needed to prevent AI energy crisis
Dramatic change may be needed to prevent an AI-fuelled energy crisis. New data highlights the incredible demand for data centres and the expected surge in power use.
