Themen:
Insights June 8, 2026

The new age of electricity - Geopolitics, the role of the state and new technologies

In this PERSPECTIVES Special, we explore how a new age of electricity is already reshaping the global economic and geopolitical landscape - transforming energy from a commodity into a strategic infrastructure asset.

CIO-SPECIAL-The-new-age-of-electricity.jpg

Driven not only by decarbonisation but also by geopolitical fragmentation, state intervention, and a race for clean technologies, this transition is complex and non-linear. As electricity demand accelerates well beyond headline drivers, we examine where investment, infrastructure, and technological leadership are likely to concentrate – and why the answers may challenge conventional assumptions.

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Electrification as a geopolitical strategy
  3. The expanding role of the state in energy systems
  4. The clean technology power struggle
  5. It’s not all about AI
  6. Clean technologies, where are we?
  7. Conclusion

Key takeaways 

  • For governments, electrification can be seen as a geopolitical strategy given problems associated with hydrocarbon production concentration and transport: hence we see an increasing distinction between electrostates and petrostates (e.g., the US).
  • AI is taking a rising proportion of global electricity supply, but demand here is highly regionally concentrated (around hyperscalers). Structural electrification looks likely to give a much bigger boost to electricity demand than AI. Infrastructure age is another driver of investment.
  • We look at cost/technological issues around renewable power, energy storage, grid flexibility, electrification of transport, heating and industrial processes, hydrogen and nuclear.

Related Content