Rolls-Royce looks to AI, nuclear tech to power its future
Marketplace Morning Report
American Public Media
4.5 • 808 Ratings
🗓️ 13 August 2025
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From the BBC World Service: United Kingdom-based engineering giant Rolls-Royce first made its name in luxury cars, but after selling its motor business nearly 30 years ago, it’s now known for its aircraft engines and defense manufacturing. Speaking exclusively to the BBC, its CEO is betting on artificial intelligence and nuclear technology as a path to becoming the UK's highest-valued company. Plus, why have European countries been stepping up their defense spending?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Could Rolls-Royce become the UK's most valuable company? Its CEO thinks so, live from the UK. This is the Marketplace Morning Report from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Nick Karechi in Fort Leanna Burn. UK engineering giant Rolls-Royce first made its name in luxury cars, but after selling its motor business nearly 30 years ago, is now known for its aircraft engines and defence manufacturing. |
| 0:23.3 | And after recovering from some difficult years, |
| 0:25.4 | it says the ever-increasing demand for AI will drive the business forward. |
| 0:29.8 | Speaking exclusively to the BBC, |
| 0:32.1 | the CEO Tufan Ergen Bilgich said it has the potential |
| 0:35.2 | to become the UK's highest valued company by |
| 0:38.3 | powering artificial intelligence with its nuclear reactors. But he has ruled out Rolls-Royce listing |
| 0:43.6 | its shares in New York. The BBC's Simon Jack has been talking to him. Hi, Simon. Hi, Nick. |
| 0:49.1 | Pretty bold claim here, isn't it, from the head of Rolls-Royce? It's a pretty remarkable turnaround. |
| 0:55.9 | Rolls-Royce was really not in a good place about two and a half years ago. The shares were |
| 1:00.3 | trading about for a $1.30 each, and now they're sort of $13 and above. So you're talking |
| 1:05.5 | about a thousand percent or a tenfold increase. Now, one of the things that has got people |
| 1:10.2 | excited is small modular reactors. Now, Roll of the things that has got people excited is small modular reactors. |
| 1:12.9 | Now, Rolls-Royce already provides the nuclear reactors for dozens of nuclear submarines. And the idea |
| 1:19.0 | is you just literally drag them out of the water and stick them on land and plug them into either |
| 1:23.3 | the grid or into AI data centers. |
| 1:29.9 | And Tufeldon-I can build it is pretty excited about it too. There is no private company in the world with nuclear capability that we have. |
| 1:37.1 | If we are not market leader globally, we did something wrong. |
| 1:41.0 | So is Rolls-Royce now an AI play in a way? |
| 1:47.1 | Yes. I mean, we are, but we are already, is my point. He has got big ambitions, ruling out the idea of Rolls-Royce seeking to |
| 1:54.7 | list its shares in New York, like the likes of Shell and AstraZeneca, considered in the search |
| 1:59.4 | for higher valuations. |
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