Recently, top figures in the tech industry discussed a very interesting topic on podcasts—the core drivers of the global economy in 2026. Their conclusion is that AI, copper, and electricity are now tightly interconnected.

First, let's talk about AI. Its essence is actually converting electricity into computing power. The emergence of large-scale model computations has transformed electricity from merely an energy issue into a matter of national competitiveness. Whoever has electricity, has the ticket to access computing power.

Next, copper. It sounds very traditional, right? But upon closer thought, data centers require copper for high-density wiring, and energy transition upgrades rely on copper for power grids. Therefore, copper has risen from a basic metal to a strategic resource.

How do these three elements drive the economy? The answer lies in productivity. The US labor productivity growth rate once approached 5% annually, reaching recent highs, mainly because companies began to adopt AI on a large scale. Coding, data analysis, content generation—these knowledge-based tasks that were once expensive and scarce are now automated.

There is an economic concept called Jevons' Paradox, which states that when something becomes cheaper, demand actually increases. Radiologists are often said to be replaced by AI, but in reality, their numbers are still growing. Why? Because testing has become cheaper and faster, leading healthcare systems to perform more scans, which in turn requires more professionals to verify and interpret results.

Therefore, AI is no longer just a technological issue; it has become the core engine for upgrading the economic structure.