Silicon Silk Road

Telco NI market outlook: Recovery in a divided market

Growth in telco network spending returned in 2025, but geopolitics and AI-driven demand are reshaping industry; Fujikura, Wiwynn, Alphabet, Amazon and…

Apr 15 • Arun Menon

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Breaking the AI power tax at OFC 2026: from silicon photonics to hollow core fiber

How industry giants and startups are re-engineering the physical layer

Apr 10 • Matt Walker

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Another oil crisis pushes telcos to renewable energy

As America’s latest Middle East war spikes oil prices, telcos like Turkcell, Tele2 and DT reap benefits from green energy push; laggards like Charter…

Apr 8 • Matt Walker

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March 2026

Hyperscale market outlook: The rising risk of a crash

Annualized capex clears 500 billion dollars while free cash flow hits record lows as the AI arms race drains liquidity

Mar 31 • Matt Walker

Oracle’s AI bet is rewriting its carbon story, and not for the better

Energy use up 24% CAGR since 2019, emissions stable thanks to renewables; Stargate may explode its carbon footprint, though

Mar 19 • Matt Walker

Telecom confronts climate crisis at MWC

Telcos spend too much on energy, and emit too much carbon into the air; vendors aim to address both problems at MWC 2026

Mar 9 • Matt Walker

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February 2026

Baidu’s Great Wall: Building an AI future without NVIDIA

Over one-quarter of 2025 capex paid for self-designed chips & servers, likely the highest ratio worldwide

Feb 27 • Matt Walker

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The AI tide hits Hawaii: Power, fiber, and the ghost of bubbles past

With webscaler energy consumption jumping 23% in a single year, per MTN Consulting, the AI “super-cycle” is hitting a physical wall

Feb 19 • Matt Walker

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Hyperscalers channel Ronald Reagan with capex bombast

Record-breaking spending, 2009-level layoffs, and the "too big to fail" bet.

Feb 7 • Matt Walker

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January 2026

Massive AI buildouts set to continue despite warning signs in early 4Q25 earnings

While US-led data center capex explosion continues, Chinese ventures continue to make rapid AI progress at much lower spending levels

Jan 30 • Matt Walker

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December 2025

The View From 2025: Telecom, AI, Energy, and the Cost of Collective Delusion

What I got right, what still worries me, and what to watch next

Dec 29, 2025 • Matt Walker

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The real state of Telco AI in Asia: Lessons from TM Forum’s Bangkok event

From POC Graveyards to Level 4 Moonshots: The human challenge

Dec 3, 2025 • Matt Walker

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