All articles by Thom Atkinson

WCN's editor-in-chief

Semiconductor construction is redrawing the industrial map

For much of the past decade, the semiconductor industry has competed for investment. Governments assembled increasingly generous incentive packages, manufacturers…
The Gulf turns aviation volatility into a delivery problem

Airlines have reverted to familiar instincts. Faced with geopolitical disruption, weaker demand and soaring fuel costs, they are trimming schedules,…
Bohai Strait can wait. Tunnelling’s commercial challenge is already underground

China's proposed Bohai Strait high-speed rail tunnel would stretch 120km beneath the sea between Dalian and Yantai, making it one…
China’s rail expansion raises the stakes for a $6.7tn global construction market

In January 2026, China’s national railway operator confirmed its ambition to increase China's operational railway network to around 180,000km by…
Power availability pulls US data centre megacampuses to Texas and Arizona, as the sector’s build risks mount

The next generation of hyperscale data centres is gravitating towards Texas and Arizona for a reason that extends beyond land…

The hidden challenge in the VA’s $4.8bn hospital upgrade programme

The US Department of Veterans Affairs has become an unlikely guide to the future of healthcare construction. Earlier this year,…
The battery race meets the realities of construction

The battery sector has entered a less celebrated but more consequential phase of growth in the global construction sector. For…
Power generation’s $8.28tn problem – too many plans, not enough buildable work

The global power sector has no shortage of investment ambition. GlobalData's Q2 2026 assessment identifies around $8.28tn of power generation…
Road building enters an era of harder choices

Governments are still betting heavily on roads. GlobalData's Q2 2026 roads insight tracks $3.9tn of roads and highways projects worldwide,…
A $768bn office market is taking shape, but capital is becoming more selective

The debate around offices has spent much of the past few years trapped between two extremes: permanent decline or inevitable…