China\'s battery industry is facing narrowing export routes as Beijing withdraws tax support for mainstream lithium-ion batteries and shifts focus to next-generation technologies, while the European Union moves to curb exports of Chinese hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars. Analysts say Korean battery makers with production bases in Europe may get a chance to narrow the price gap. The EU also plans tougher origin requirements for subsidies, raising pressure on Korean firms to localise sourcing.

Surging demand for AI computing is pushing the data centre industry up against physical limits in power supply, cooling performance and GPU-to-GPU data transfer, making rapid expansion harder through chip gains alone. Grid constraints, long waits for high-voltage transformers and rising costs are key hurdles. Operators are adding on-site generation and exploring SMRs. Cooling is shifting from air to liquid systems. Interconnects are moving from copper to optics, while solid-state transformers draw interest despite high costs.