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  • 📈 Fast-Charge Future? Nyobolt’s Already There

📈 Fast-Charge Future? Nyobolt’s Already There

April 16, 2025

This is Cliff Equity, the UK’s business newsletter that keeps you informed on what’s important in tech, business and finance in less than 5 minutes

In today’s stories:

  • Fast-Charge Future? Nyobolt’s Already There

  • Nvidia Chips In: ÂŁ400bn for USA

  • Inflation Slows, But Costs Still Climb!

The summary: Nyobolt’s cracking battery tech is giving power-hungry industries the jolt they need — charging in minutes, using fewer resources, and keeping the lights (and AI) on without breaking a sweat.

The details:

  • Power-hungry industries like AI data centres and heavy transport are guzzling electricity like it’s going out of fashion — and only 20% are electrified. With AI set to spike global power demand by 165% by 2030, it’s all starting to look a bit “lights out.”

  • Enter Nyobolt, the Cambridge-born brainchild zapping the battery world into the future. Their tech charges 20x faster, uses fewer resources, and laughs in the face of downtime — perfect for AI warehouses, electric lorries, and gadgets with performance issues.

  • Armed with a fresh $30 million and some serious science behind them, Nyobolt’s tungsten-and-niobium-powered cells charge to 80% in under five minutes, shrug off degradation, and sip lithium like it's single malt.

  • Already raking in revenue and ÂŁ150M in contracts, Nyobolt is on a mission to outcharge the AI energy crisis — not just rewriting the rulebook, but flinging it out the window with the confidence of a company that knows it’s about to power the future.

Why it matters: AI, electric lorries, and robot-filled warehouses are guzzling power like it’s free tapas at a tech conference — and our current batteries simply can’t keep up. Nyobolt’s lightning-fast, low-resource batteries are basically the energy equivalent of a double espresso with a PhD. If we’re to avoid blackouts, breakdowns, and billion-pound headaches, we’ll need more of their spark and a lot less of the old slow-charge nonsense.

The summary: Nvidia’s taken a hefty knock from a US chip ban to China, markets are jittery, tariffs are flying, but they’re bouncing back with a £400bn Made-in-America masterplan — chip on shoulder and all!

The details:

  • Nvidia's China Chill: Uncle Sam's latest crackdown on AI chip exports has left Nvidia ÂŁ4.1bn lighter, thanks to a sudden sales ban on its China-tailored H20 chip – so much for bespoke diplomacy.

  • Shares Take a Wobble: The markets had a mini meltdown, with Nvidia tumbling 6% after-hours and global chip stocks following suit – even Samsung and ASML couldn't dodge the silicon shrapnel.

  • Tariffs, Tariffs Everywhere: Trump’s been busy sharpening his tariff sword again, eyeing semiconductors next – though he's left just enough wiggle room to keep Wall Street guessing.

  • Made in America (Eventually): Not to be outdone, Nvidia’s now pledging to splash $500bn on US-based AI infrastructure – a cheeky pivot from “Designed in the US, Made in Taiwan” to “Might as well build it here.”

Why it matters: Nvidia’s ban from selling AI chips to China is like taking the crown jewels out of the tech trade — a costly blow that’s rattled investors and chipmakers alike. With Trump turning tariffs into a national pastime again, the entire semiconductor world is tiptoeing around his next move. Meanwhile, Nvidia’s £400bn American build-a-thon is a not-so-subtle nod to Washington, saying: “Look, we’re patriotic — now please don’t make us poorer.”

The summary: Inflation’s slowed its pace, but with rising costs, a cautious Bank of England, and businesses juggling global chaos, it’s still a bit of a tightrope walk for the UK economy!

The details:

  • Petrol's price drop gave inflation a breather, dipping it to 2.6% in March — but don’t pop the bubbly just yet, as April’s bills and business costs are lurking like a hungover lion in the long grass.

  • Wages are outpacing inflation for now, especially in the public sector — but with rising energy prices, trade wars, and Hastelloy metal now worth its weight in artisan cheese, businesses like West Special Fasteners are feeling the squeeze.

  • The Bank of England’s stuck in a bit of a pickle — inflation’s down, job vacancies are drying up, and Trump’s tariff tantrums are brewing trouble. But with wage growth still robust, cutting interest rates isn’t a done deal.

  • Politicians are having a good old barney over who’s to blame — the Chancellor’s cautiously optimistic, while the opposition reckons her policies are fuelling the fire. Meanwhile, families are still trying to keep the lights on without selling a kidney.

Why it matters: Prices are still going up, just not as quickly — like a jog instead of a sprint — but April's bills might put inflation back in its running shoes. The Bank of England’s weighing up whether to cut interest rates or sit on its hands, all while wages, energy costs, and global chaos do the conga around them. Meanwhile, businesses and households are stuck playing financial whack-a-mole, hoping their budgets don’t spring another leak.