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Cyprus Economy Set For 3.4% Growth In 2024: Key Sectors Driving Prosperity

According to the latest figures from the Statistical Service, the Cyprus economy is projected to grow by 3.4% in real terms in 2024. When considering current price estimates, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to expand by 6.6%.

Leading Sectors Fueling Growth

The primary sectors driving this impressive growth include:

  • Hotels and Restaurants
  • Information and Communication
  • Construction
  • Wholesale and Retail Trade, Vehicle Repair

These sectors have been vital in maintaining a robust economic trajectory despite various challenges.

Notable 2.6% Growth In Q4 2024

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the growth rate reached 2.6% compared to the same period in 2023. Adjusting for seasonal variations and workdays, growth stands at 2.9%.

Sectors Contributing To Q4 Growth

The continued expansion during the last quarter was mainly due to:

  • Hotels and Restaurants
  • Wholesale and Retail Trade
  • Information and Communication

It is important to note that the Construction sector faced a downturn during this period.

The overall expected 3.4% growth for 2024 reinforces a positive outlook for the Cyprus economy, highlighting its resilience and capacity to adapt in a dynamic global landscape. For further insights on this economic outlook, consider reading about how Cyprus inflation trends are shaping the financial landscape.

The AI Agent Revolution: Can the Industry Handle the Compute Surge?

As AI agents evolve from simple chatbots into complex, autonomous assistants, the tech industry faces a new challenge: Is there enough computing power to support them? With AI agents poised to become integral in various industries, computational demands are rising rapidly.

A recent Barclays report forecasts that the AI industry can support between 1.5 billion and 22 billion AI agents, potentially revolutionizing white-collar work. However, the increase in AI’s capabilities comes at a cost. AI agents, unlike chatbots, generate significantly more tokens—up to 25 times more per query—requiring far greater computing power.

Tokens, the fundamental units of generative AI, represent fragmented parts of language to simplify processing. This increase in token generation is linked to reasoning models, like OpenAI’s o1 and DeepSeek’s R1, which break tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. As AI agents process more complex tasks, the tokens multiply, driving up the demand for AI chips and computational capacity.

Barclays analysts caution that while the current infrastructure can handle a significant volume of agents, the rise of these “super agents” might outpace available resources, requiring additional chips and servers to meet demand. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pro, for example, generates around 9.4 million tokens annually per subscriber, highlighting just how computationally expensive these reasoning models can be.

In essence, the tech industry is at a critical juncture. While AI agents show immense potential, their expansion could strain the limits of current computing infrastructure. The question is, can the industry keep up with the demand?

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