Member News, News

CLA | Data Center Construction: Are We Building the “Shopping Malls” of 2036?

Key insights While commercial real estate construction is slowing due to high costs and labor shortages, data centers remain a bright spot because of accelerating AI‑driven demand. The pace of computing innovation could outstrip the useful lives of today’s designs. AI hardware, density patterns, and power requirements are evolving quickly, creating real risk current data center layouts and systems may not align with future needs. Just as America’s shopping malls lost value when consumer behavior changed, data centers could...

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Chapter News, News

IMF | AI Can Lift Global Growth

Blog | AI can lift global growth but lasting productivity benefits depend on how fast we learn to measure, finance, and govern it. Artificial intelligence is the defining driver of global economic conversation—and, increasingly, of economic growth itself. In the United States, AI-related investment now accounts for a large share of GDP growth, fueling new demand for servers, data centers, software, and power infrastructure. Policymakers are scrambling to understand what this means: Is the world witnessing a short-lived investment bubble...

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Member News, News

Panitch Schwarze | Demystifying Patent Eligibility Under 35 U.S.C. § 101 in the Age of Software and AI

Patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 continues to be one of the most challenging aspects of U.S. patent prosecution, particularly for software- and AI-driven inventions. While the legal framework has long been shaped by judicial exceptions and evolving case law, recent developments at the USPTO and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) suggest a meaningful shift in how eligibility is being evaluated. This article highlights key trends shaping § 101 analysis today and outlines practical considerations for innovators...

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Member News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Jaguar Freight | The Supply Chain Impact of War

In this week’s Roar: The impact of the Iranian attacks, insurance guarantees for ships, rising energy costs in Europe, backlogs and reduced capacity for air cargo, and importers fighting to get tariff costs back. Like the geopolitics at play, the supply chain impacts of the current Middle East conflict are complex and widespread. With almost no notice, shippers began facing longer lead times, reduced supply availability, route instability, rising transportation and energy costs, and broader uncertainty. To minimize risk from the new disruptions,...

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Member News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Fox Rothschild | Court Orders $166 Billion in Tariff Refunds — Then Pauses Them — in 48 Hours

Officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection assured the court that an automated refund tool could be ready within 45 days. In what may be the single largest refund directive in the history of U.S. customs law, Judge Richard K. Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade on March 4 ordered U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to liquidate and reliquidate every entry subject to duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act—"without regard to the IEEPA duties." In...

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Member News, News

KeyBank | Middle Market Sentiment Report: Why Leaders Are Starting 2026 on the Front Foot

Middle market firms (about 200,000 companies with $10 million to $1 billion in annual revenue) employ roughly 48 million people, account for one-third of U.S. GDP, and help set the pace for the U.S. economy. When they lean into growth, the effects are broad. KeyBank’s latest Middle Market Sentiment Survey polled 750 owners and senior executives in November and December 2025. The results point to a middle market entering 2026 on the front foot. Company outlooks are strong, driven by tighter...

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News, TRIA News

EIB | WTO and EIB Sign First Agreement to Strengthen Cooperation on Global Trade and Investment

Mission 300, launched by the World Bank Group and African Development Bank Group, aims to connect 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030 EIB Global’s pledge focuses on renewable energy projects under this initiative The European Investment Bank (EIB) pledged to deliver more than €1 billion of financing for renewable energy projects in Sub-Saharan Africa, supporting the goals of Mission 300 – to bring electricity to 300 million people on the continent. EIB Group President Nadia Calviño...

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Chapter News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

European Commission | EU and Canada Launch Negotiations for a Digital Trade Agreement

Yesterday in Toronto, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maroš Šefčovič, and Canada's Minister for International Trade Maninder Sidhu launched negotiations for an EU-Canada Digital Trade Agreement (DTA). Building on nine years of successful implementation of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), this new deal will upgrade EU-Canada trade by making it easier and safer for businesses to trade digitally across borders and providing stronger protections for consumers online. The launch of DTA negotiations reflects the mutual commitment to...

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Chapter News, News

OECD | With Pressures Rising in Global Debt Markets, Maintaining Resilience Will Require Sound Public Finances, Strong Institutions and Policies that Support Growth and Innovation

Global debt markets remained resilient in 2025 amidst geopolitical tensions, trade disputes and risks for growth prospects, with governments and companies borrowing a record USD 27 trillion, according to a new OECD report. Sovereign bond issuance in OECD countries is projected to reach a record USD 18 trillion in 2026, up from USD 12 trillion in 2022. Outstanding debt is estimated to have risen from USD 55 trillion in 2024 to USD 61 trillion in 2025. Debt relative to GDP remained stable,...

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Member News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Barnes & Thornburg | IEEPA Tariff Refunds: CIT Orders Action, Questions Remain

Highlights The Court of International Trade (CIT) has ordered U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to begin automatically refunding International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) duties. The order applies broadly to all importers that paid IEEPA duties, but companies must confirm whether their entries are unliquidated, liquidated but not final, or fully final. Key uncertainty remains around what qualifies as “not final” liquidation and how this will impact refunds for importations made, particularly in early 2025. The ruling may...

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