ChipsJuly 30, 2026via CNBC Technology
Rolls-Royce hikes guidance as it benefits from both the defense boom and AI data center buildout
Why it matters
The AI infrastructure buildout is moving beyond GPUs and racks into power and thermal systems. Rolls-Royce's 50%+ growth in data center power orders signals how physical constraints—not just chip scarcity—are bottlenecking AI scaling.
Key signals
- Rolls-Royce data center power orders grew >50% in H1 2026
- Company raised full-year guidance on back of defense and AI data center demand
- Power and cooling are becoming a critical constraint in the AI factory buildout
The hook
Orders in Rolls-Royce's data center power business grew 50%+ in H1—a hard number on the compute buildout accelerating.
Orders in the company's data center power business grew more than 50% in the first half of the year.