Jan Kalfus, Head of Americas Chemical Advisory at S&P Global Energy, joins Victoria Meyer for a fast-paced exploration of how AI and data center growth are reshaping the chemical industry. Starting with Jan’s personal journey, the conversation connects industry fundamentals with today’s high stakes shifts in AI, digital infrastructure, and supply chains.

They dig into why demand from data centers is spurring real, but nuanced, changes on both the commodity and specialty sides, why much of the action (and opportunity) in specialized materials is still outside the US, and how regulatory constraints and value chain complexity make reshoring tough. The discussion then looks ahead: What does AI really mean for chemical leadership? How are industry roles and university connections evolving as automation advances?

Victoria and Jan discuss the following:

• How data center and AI growth is fueling complex, uneven demand for chemicals.
• The real challenges behind US specialty chemical competitiveness and reshoring.
• Modernization, regulation, and why many intermediates left North America.
• R&D, innovation, and the shifting role of universities in the chemical sector.
• What “agentic AI” could mean for future chemical businesses and leaders.
• Human context, divergent thinking, and why people still matter for competitive edge.