Supply chain visibility is a growing priority for chief executives dealing with increasingly complex and brittle logistics networks. The value of intermediate goods — those used to make other goods — traded internationally has tripled since 2000 as companies have expanded across borders, according to a McKinsey study. The Covid pandemic demonstrated how fragile some … Read more
In a vast Amazon warehouse on the outskirts of Tracy, central California, flat rectangular robots wait to be handed packages by robotic arms. The robots then scuttle away to hurl the parcels down chutes, for human workers to load into delivery trucks. “Each one is their own beast,” says Jonathan Ramey, of the robots he … Read more
Nvidia’s challengers are seizing a new opportunity to crack its dominance of artificial intelligence chips after Chinese start-up DeepSeek accelerated a shift in AI’s computing requirements. DeepSeek’s R1 and other so-called “reasoning” models, such as OpenAI’s o3 and Anthropic’s Claude 3.7, consume more computing resources than previous AI systems at the point when a user … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. For many years, the most promising potential use for self-driving technology was ride-hailing services in big cities. Tesla and Waymo are locked in fierce competition with Chinese rivals such as BYD and Baidu for the … Read more
For the residents of some of Scotland’s Orkney Islands, one of the UK’s most remote areas, receiving mail is a logistical feat. In the past two years, newcomers have joined Royal Mail’s fleet of distinctive red vans and lorries on the archipelago: aerial drones. In partnership with Royal Mail, Skyports has operated a delivery service … Read more
For Fred, a 30-year-old strategy consultant, one of the first challenges of moving to New York from London was getting used to his new Chase banking app. “Wiring people cash is clunky and you have to pay fees,” he says. “It’s a bit of a nightmare.” Revolut and Monzo, the two leading UK digital banks, … Read more
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Renewable energy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Big businesses are stepping up to buy power from new wind and solar farms in a boost to the renewables industry as cash-strapped governments come under pressure to cut subsidies. The amount of renewable electricity … Read more
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Blowback against Elon Musk has lit a rocket under Europe’s besieged space sector, as countries rethink their reliance on Starlink, the satellite system of President Donald Trump’s favoured tech billionaire. In Italy, a proposed $1.5bn … Read more
Microsoft has walked away from some of its commitments with cloud computing provider CoreWeave in a significant blow to a company seeking to launch a blockbuster $35bn initial public offering next month. CoreWeave provides Microsoft with computing capacity from data centres, which the tech giant uses to scale up powerful AI models such as OpenAI’s … Read more
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world A former top Wall Street banker and longtime Elon Musk ally has led a purge of the US government office charged with administering billions of dollars in semiconductor subsidies. The Chips Program Office, … Read more