Watch Desk posted an update
Forecasts for copper demand from AI data centres may be too high, as rising prices and fibre-optic technology encourage substitution, AzerNews reports. LSEG analyst Bruce Alvey says some estimates contain inaccuracies and forecasts China’s annual copper-demand growth could slow to 1–1.5% by 2030.
Why it mattersAurubis representative Tanya Winter says some customers have suspended orders when copper topped $14,000 a tonne. Copper currently costs about 4.8 times as much as aluminium, AzerNews says, making the prospect of substitution more than a spreadsheet exercise. That is a useful check on assumptions about the materials behind AI infrastructure: demand projections are not the same as orders that will actually be placed.
Discuss: How much should AI infrastructure forecasts account for price-driven substitution before new data centres are built?
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