McKinsey &amp; Company research.

Automotive R&D: Charging ahead in EV platform development

Improvements in batteries and recharging, not to mention geopolitics, have increased consumer appetites for electric vehicles. Automakers are flocking to China for lessons in how to develop an EV platform.

EconomyCapital MarketsData CentersGlobal

Colocation data centers: The infrastructure race behind AI

Data center capital expenditures are surging as AI workloads grow, yet competitiveness increasingly depends on securing advanced accelerators, reliable electricity, and fast project delivery.

Solar power: From intermittent sunshine to reliable power

Solar photovoltaic projects with battery energy storage systems are moving beyond low-cost generation by transforming intermittent output into more reliable, higher-value electricity.

Polyethylene: Widely produced—but not one-size-fits-all

Manufacturing polyethylene is a highly competitive business. Success depends greatly on access to feedstocks, yet investment doesn’t always follow economics.

Batteries: Scaling the engine of electrification

Demand for batteries is surging as electric vehicles and storage grow, but competitiveness depends on securing materials, ramping up gigafactories, and building the local ecosystems needed to compete.

Pharmaceuticals: Innovating and advancing around the world

The continued rise of monoclonal antibody therapies and demographic changes are powering growth in the pharmaceuticals industry.

EconomyCapital MarketsData CentersGlobal

Nuclear power: A renaissance in the making

The explosion of AI data centers and the continued electrification of automobiles and other products have greatly increased demand for electricity, sparking renewed interest in producing nuclear power.

Talking with Daniel Marovitz, SVP of Fintech at Booking.com

Booking.com’s senior vice president of fintech describes how the travel-booking company has become the global platform of choice by managing complexity and easing customers’ pain points.

EAF steel: Beyond the blast furnace

Global steel investment is flat, but DRI-EAF production is gaining share in advanced economies.

Catalyzing competitiveness: Where investment happens and why

Competitiveness has moved to the top of the global agenda, and investment is its indicator and its outcome. In the context of dramatically diverging investment patterns globally, companies and regions can pull seven levers to level up.

From access to assets: How early-life wealth building can shape economic mobility

Investing in children’s financial futures can narrow disparities and expand opportunity. Different scenarios for the new 530A accounts, also known as Trump Accounts, highlight the factors that can shape its impact.

EconomyCapital MarketsGlobalEurope

Biopharma R&D: The evolving formula for discovery and development

Innovation after innovation is advancing the biopharmaceutical industry, enabling better treatment of complex diseases. The industry has historically made its home in Europe and the United States, but that’s changing.

Semiconductors: Etching the new map of strategic supply

As geopolitics shift, more countries are wooing semiconductor manufacturers to enhance resilience. At the same time, demand for advanced semiconductors continues to grow.

EconomyCapital MarketsGlobalAustralia

Australia’s grid opportunity: Why it’s time to flick the switch

Australia’s energy transition has entered a new phase. Moving beyond “should we?” the question is now how to deliver an affordable, reliable, secure, and competitive energy system.

Economic conditions outlook, June 2026

In early June, executives were more downbeat on the economy than they have been in years and reported divided expectations for the coming months. Energy prices loomed large, and companies have been making defensive changes in response.

From linear gates to learning loops: Rewiring biopharma R&D with AI

An AI-powered R&D model built on connected decision loops—replacing the current sequential, fragmented workflow—can reduce uncertainty, compress timelines, and accelerate medicines to market.

Posted today·Published 1 day agoRead

Capital MarketsAlternativesSustainabilityGlobal

Real estate builds on new terrain (Global private markets in real estate)

The real estate chapter of McKinsey's Global Private Markets Report analyzes how private real estate is evolving through 2026, from sector rotations to shifting risk-return profiles, ESG demands, and institutional capital flows. It documents that operationally hands-on investors now control a growing share of real estate AUM.

Posted 10 days ago·Published 3 months agoRead

PropTech & DataOfficeGlobal

How agentic AI can reshape real estate's operating model

McKinsey examines how agentic AI can automate multistep workflows across property management, leasing, and other core real estate functions, enabling humans to work in partnership with autonomous AI agents. It frames agentic AI as the next wave beyond earlier generative-AI applications in the sector.

Posted 10 days ago·Published 3 months agoRead

Posted 10 days ago·Published 8 months agoRead

Beyond compute: Infrastructure that powers and cools AI data centers

McKinsey examines the power and cooling equipment that forms the backbone of data center infrastructure, arguing that as AI data center demand grows, innovation and on-time supply of this technology will become increasingly critical. The piece looks at the industrial supply chain enabling AI capacity.

Data CentersGlobal

Data CentersEconomyU.S. National

The data center balance: How US states can navigate the opportunities and challenges

McKinsey analyzes why hyperscale data centers are expanding rapidly across the United States and why they represent a major new investment opportunity for states. It weighs the economic upside against challenges such as power demand and infrastructure constraints.

Posted 10 days ago·Published 10 months agoRead

Data CentersAlternativesGlobal

The cost of compute: A $7 trillion race to scale data centers

McKinsey projects that data centers could require roughly $6.7 trillion of capital investment worldwide by 2030 to keep pace with demand for compute, with about $5.2 trillion of that for AI-capable facilities. It breaks down the spend across chip and hardware developers, power and cooling suppliers, and builders.

OfficeEconomyCapital MarketsGlobalU.S. National

The state of demand for commercial real estate

This interview with McKinsey senior partner Aditya Sanghvi examines where office attendance stands today and the growing opportunity for commercial real estate to adapt to new ways of working. It revisits demand projections from the firm's earlier hybrid-work research.

Affordable HousingEconomyU.S. National

Investing in housing: Unlocking economic mobility for Black families and all Americans

McKinsey finds the US was short 8.2 million housing units in 2023, a gap that could grow to 9.6 million by 2035, and estimates closing it would require about $2.7 trillion of investment while potentially adding nearly $2 trillion to GDP. It identifies five themes for making housing more affordable and advancing economic mobility.

OfficeEconomyGlobalU.S. National

The future of the office

McKinsey examines why global demand for office space has continued to decline even after the pandemic ended, and what that implies for the future of the office. It analyzes attendance patterns, vacancy, and the outlook for office values.

OfficeRetailMultifamilyGlobal

Hybrid work, urban ecosystems, and the future of real estate

McKinsey explores how hybrid work is reshaping urban ecosystems and the real estate that depends on them, finding that stakeholders must adapt to find pockets of opportunity while supporting tenants. It connects shifts in office, retail, and residential demand to the health of city centers.

Posted 10 days ago·Published 2 years agoRead

OfficeRetailMultifamilyGlobal

Empty spaces and hybrid places: The pandemic's lasting impact on real estate

This McKinsey Global Institute study models how hybrid work could reshape demand for office, retail, and residential space by 2030 across nine superstar cities. In a moderate scenario, office demand in the median city is 13 percent lower in 2030 than in 2019, putting hundreds of billions of dollars of office value at risk.

Posted 10 days ago·Published 2 years agoRead

Capital MarketsEconomyGlobalU.S. National

In the near term, commercial real estate may not hedge inflation

McKinsey finds that rising cap rates could erode commercial real estate's traditional power to outperform during inflationary periods, at least in the near term. It outlines steps real estate players can take to thrive despite the changed rate environment.

Posted 10 days ago·Published 3 years agoRead