🌆 Infra Futures #24

Happy Monday 👋

Virginia is set to host the world’s first commercial fusion power plant, generating 400 MW of electricity to power 150,000 homes. California unveiled a $310B plan to create an interconnected rail system by 2050, aiming to boost train travel from 2% to 20% of total miles, reduce 200 million daily road passenger miles, and improve underserved communities' access. Samuthra Infrastructure announced a $10B plan to develop industrial parks across 10 Indian states. India funded a new educational campus in Nepal, benefiting over 950 students. Qvantum secured $116M in Series C funding to scale its Heat Pump to Grid (HP2G) technology.

What's new?
HolonIQ’s new Green Skills Map and Workforce section reveal industry-wide sustainability skills and jobs, as well as workforce development initiatives, supporting upskilling for a sustainable economy.

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🏗️ Energy Infrastructure

⚛️ Virginia to get the world's first commercial fusion power plant. Virginia will get the world's first commercial fusion power plant, a major milestone in developing fusion energy technology. The plant is expected to generate about 400 megawatts of electricity, enough to power approximately 150,000 homes. 

🤖 Amazon Invests Billions in Georgia for AI Expansion. Amazon announced an $11B investment in Georgia to build new facilities in Butts and Douglas counties to support its expansion into generative AI, citing the need for more advanced cloud infrastructure.

💻 Microsoft to Invest $80B in Data Centers. Microsoft announced plans to invest $80B in fiscal 2025 to strengthen its data center infrastructure, a significant investment to bolster its cloud computing capabilities.

🚘 Transport Infrastructure

🚉 California Unveils Ambitious $310B Statewide Rail Plan. The state of California announced a $310B plan to build an interconnected mass transit rail system across the state by 2050. The initiative targets increasing train travel's share from 2% to 20% of total miles traveled, reducing 200 million daily passenger miles on roads, and enhancing access for underserved communities.

🚧 Victoria Boosts Road Safety with $1.1B Investment. The Victorian Government announced it will invest over $1.1B towards improving road safety infrastructure and enforcement measures until 2028. The investment will focus on infrastructure upgrades, such as safety barriers on high-risk roads and improvements at over 100 dangerous sites for vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. 

🚗 Toyota's Woven City to Reinvent Mobility. Toyota is building Woven City, an incubator for mobility-related ideas that can provide software and manufacturing capabilities. This initiative aims to reinvent mobility. This  AI and robot-assisted city called 'Woven City' will be at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan this year, initially for its employees and families. Innovations from the futuristic city will be integrated into Toyota's productions.

🏛️ Buildings

🏭 Samuthra Infrastructure unveils a $10B industrial park plan. Samuthra Infrastructure, a land aggregator company, announced its entry into the industrial and business park sector with a $10B plan to develop parks across 10 states in India.

🌍 Denmark launches the world's largest CO₂ heat pump. Denmark has put into operation the world's largest CO₂ heat pump in Esbjerg, which will use seawater to provide climate-neutral heating for the city.

🔬 KCC Glass Unveils Smart Glass Technology. KCC Glass announced a new smart glass technology that can adjust glass color to hundreds of concentrations based on light levels without tinting. This technology, developed in collaboration with Diphon, blocks sunlight and heat, making it ideal for mobility and construction applications.

🏫 Social Infrastructure

🏫 India Funds New Educational Campus in Nepal. The Indian government funded the construction of a new educational campus in Myagdi, Nepal, which was officially handed over to bolster higher education infrastructure and benefit over 950 students in the region.

🏫 IIMC Invests in Infrastructure and Launches New Programs. The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) invested in infrastructure to strengthen media education and launched new MA programs. The institute also modernized its facilities and achieved significant milestones in media education and training.

🛠️ Skills and Workforce

HolonIQ is now tracking reskilling and upskilling initiatives critical in bridging workforce gaps. Impact industries are rapidly evolving, fueled by technological advancements, decarbonization, geopolitical dynamics, and socio-economic factors. To that extent, these sectors require considerable workforce/professional development initiatives to enhance workers' capabilities, boost economic growth, and promote social well-being. Read on for this week’s insights, and discover more in HolonIQ's latest Skills newsletter.

🧑‍🔧 Suzlon and Andhra Pradesh Launch Green Skill Development Initiative. Suzlon Group and Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) have partnered to establish India’s largest skill development program. This initiative will train 12,000 individuals, including 3,000 women, in renewable energy skills over four years. Focus areas include wind power manufacturing and operations. The program also introduces a structured curriculum for engineering institutions and global content integration, aiming to bridge the renewable energy skill gap and foster a future-ready workforce.

💡 Argonne Hosts Global Women Energy Leaders Training Program. Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with the DOE’s Net Zero World Initiative, hosted the Climate Smart Women Energy Leaders (CSWEL) program, training 12 women leaders from partner countries in sustainable energy. The program featured technical sessions on advanced technologies, leadership workshops, and faculty tours, equipping participants to advance energy solutions tailored to their nations. Emphasizing collaboration and capacity building, CSWEL fosters a global network of women leaders poised to drive sustainable energy innovation and policy implementation worldwide.

⚡ DOE Expands Workforce Development with Spring 2025 Internship Programs. The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced that 164 undergraduate students and six faculty members will engage in workforce development programs at 11 national labs and a fusion facility this spring. Participants will gain hands-on research experience through the SULI, CCI, and VFP initiatives, fostering careers in science and technology. Notably, 29% of students and 50% of faculty represent Minority Serving Institutions.

HolonIQ has launched the Green Skills Map, an open-source framework initiated for cataloging, evaluating, and contextualizing the different components of the rapidly expanding field of green jobs. This comprehensive taxonomy will serve as a resource for understanding the full spectrum and complexity of green skills required across various sectors, thereby enabling a cohesive approach toward achieving net zero and decarbonizing the global economy. Green Skills Map spans 11 areas, 54 sub-areas, and 243 green skills clusters. A snippet of the map covering four areas has been included above. Explore the full map on greenskills.org.

💰 Infra Deals

🔋 Qvantum Secures $116M Series C Funding. Qvantum, a company pioneering advanced heat pump technologies, secured $116M in Series C funding to boost production of its innovative Heat Pump to Grid (HP2G) technology.

💰 BluSmart raising $50M in Series B funding. BluSmart, an electric mobility company, is raising $50M in its Series B funding round at a pre-money valuation of $335M, according to sources.

💰 Kinderhook Acquires Jack Doheny Companies. Kinderhook Industries, LLC announced the acquisition of Jack Doheny Companies, Inc., a nationwide leader in specialty equipment solutions. JDC provides rental, sales, service, and training for various specialty equipment.

🏗️ Michael Baker International Merges Akela Engineering into Infrastructure Vertical. Michael Baker International, an engineering and consulting firm, merged Akela Engineering and Consulting into its Sustainable and Resilient Solutions vertical.

💰 Pontegadea Acquires Minority Stake in Q-Park. Pontegadea Inversiones, S.L. acquired a 20% minority stake in Q-Park B.V. from existing shareholders including KKR.

💰 Blue Owl Capital Acquires IPI Partners. Blue Owl Capital, a financial services firm, acquired IPI Partners, a $11B digital infrastructure fund manager, to strengthen its Real Estate platform.

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Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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