Global Scans · Construction · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: 65 per cent of global construction growth for the next decade will happen in emerging markets. Smart cities, sustainable construction, greater urbanization and pre-fabricated buildings will all play their part in future construction growth.

• [New] Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal (Japan): deep-learning models predict micro-crystal formation, producing ultra-strong alloys for seismic-resistant buildings. Logiciel Solutions
• [New] Recycling sand and gravel aggregates from construction and demolition waste could meet half of China's demand for the materials essential for building skyscrapers, roads and railways by 2050, a Chinese-led study has found. South China Morning Post
• [New] The Housing Acceleration Fund, administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal, will provide low-cost, construction loans to fill financing gaps in the construction of mixed-income housing developments. Governor Kathy Hochul
• [New] The Australian construction industry is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 3.2% from 2026 to 2029, supported by public and private investment in energy infrastructure and housing projects. Yahoo Finance
• [New] Ottawa plans to attract investment to unlock AI data centers for the next generation of infrastructure, supercharge housing construction and further develop a defence industry. BNN Bloomberg
• [New] The United Arab Emirates has begun construction of what will likely be the world's largest integrated solar plus battery storage project when fully operational in 2027. The Weekly Anthropocene
• [New] In a world of climate volatility, energy shocks, and tightening regulation, industrial AI is also being deployed for resilience, predicting overheating risks in buildings before they happen, rebalancing electrical loads in stressed grids, and adapting systems rapidly during extreme weather. Forbes
• [New] Projects already under construction alone could more than double current BECCS capacity and expand DACS capacity by a factor of 50 worldwide. IEA
• [New] Meta's data center in Louisiana will have a complex of nine buildings with a bank of servers. Market Research Company - Blackridge Research & Consult
• [New] In early October, Intel announced a new fabrication plant in Arizona called Fab 52, which is now operational and will begin shipping data center products early 2026. Peterson Technology Partners
• [New] Modular retrofit has been gaining traction across Europe for several years, driven by large-scale initiatives such as Energiesprong, which demonstrate the transformative potential of offsite prefabrication applied to existing buildings. Medium
• [New] New Zealand building approvals neared a three-year high in the third quarter, adding to signs of optimism in the construction industry that could underpin an economic recovery. Bloomberg
• [New] Construction is set to begin in early 2026, marking a substantial commitment to expanding high-performance computing infrastructure in the United States. GeopoliticsUnplugged Substack
• [New] A whopping $1.5 trillion could be spent on new chip fabrication facilities between 2024 and 2030. Yahoo Finance
• [New] The global construction sector predicted to grow by 85% in terms of volume and estimated to reach US$ 15.5 trillion by the year 2030. Precedence Research
• [New] The construction of undersea power cables to supply electricity from Sarawak to Singapore will start by 2026. CNA
• [New] Australia will provide $150 million to support PNG education and skills programs and $25 million to support improved disaster response infrastructure and capacity, including for the construction of humanitarian warehouses and scoping for a new command and control centre to be built in Port Moresby. Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
• [New] More broadly, LNG export capacity in North America is on track to increase from 11.4 Bcf/d at the beginning of 2024 to 28.7 Bcf/d in 2029, if projects currently under construction begin operations as planned. EIA - Energy Information Administration
• [New] The construction of new sports complexes and training facilities will enhance the appeal of Malaysia for sports teams, athletes, and sports tourists seeking top-tier destinations for training, competitions, and recreational sports. Travel And Tour World
• Advances in 3D printing could enable construction of habitats on Mars and the Moon in the coming years. Yahoo Finance UK
• Association officials noted that the upcoming AGC of America / Sage 2025 Construction Hiring & Business Outlook will show contractors remain optimistic about overall demand for construction in 2025. Associated General Contractors of America
• The contract with General Atomics will see Tokamak Energy provide the simulation, design and fabrication of the HTS magnets. Tokamak Energy

Last updated: 12 November 2025