3 articles
Graphic design job postings fell 57% globally over the past year, with product design roles down 18%. IDEO, the consultancy that shaped design thinking worldwide, saw revenue collapse from $300 million to under $100 million. AI tools including Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, and Figma AI are automating the volume work that once funded design firms across every major market.
Broadcom's CEO has forecast $100 billion or more in annual custom AI chip revenue by 2027 — all of it dependent on TSMC's Taiwan fabs. No rival foundry in South Korea, the US, or Europe matches TSMC's capability at scale. A Taiwan Strait disruption would halt that pipeline with no short-term alternative for Broadcom or its global cloud customers.
The artificial intelligence boom is generating an unprecedented demand for electricity that is reshaping semiconductor markets, data center infrastructure, and energy grids worldwide. Nations and corporations alike are racing to secure the power and silicon needed to compete in the AI era, concentrating capital in a handful of strategic chokepoints. The ripple effects extend from U.S. monetary policy to European energy planning and Asian chip supply chains.