The Indicator from Planet Money Argentina's bailout, a new way to cool data centers, and a cold holiday hiring season
16 snips
Sep 26, 2025 Argentina is in urgent need of a $20 billion bailout to stabilize its economy amid political troubles. Meanwhile, Microsoft is pioneering a method to embed coolant channels into chips, which could revolutionize cooling for data centers. In retail news, the holiday hiring outlook is grim, with less than 500,000 seasonal workers expected as firms focus on automation and face economic uncertainties. These stories highlight the intersection of finance, technology, and the job market.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
U.S. Dollar Lifeline For Argentina
- The U.S. may provide a $20 billion swap line to stabilize Argentina's peso by lending dollars to its central bank.
- That support would let Argentina buy pesos to prop up its currency and shore up investor confidence.
Political Turmoil Hurt The Peso
- Waylon recounts recent political and economic events: a province election loss, austerity backlash, and a corruption scandal hitting President Milei's circle.
- These developments eroded investor trust and triggered the peso's sharp decline.
Cooling Is A Huge Data Center Cost
- Data center cooling can consume up to 40% of a facility's electricity and is a major contributor to rising power demand.
- Cutting that cooling load would meaningfully reduce energy use as AI and cloud workloads expand.