🤖 Amazon's 750k Robot Army, ☢️ Microsoft's Nuclear Power Play, and 🛰️ India's Space Ambitions
🤖 Amazon's 750k Robot Army, ☢️ Microsoft's Nuclear Power Play, and 🛰️ India's Space Ambitions
Thomas's Innovation Wrap #96
Greetings,
Here’s your weekly wrap of technology, innovation, and finance news.
🤖 Robotics
Warehouse automation is reaching new heights with AI-powered robots. Amazon's fleet of 750,000+ robots is transforming its supply chain, with innovations like the Hercules unit improving storage density by 40%. They’re also using generative AI to help speed up delivery (15-minute video).
And so generative AI has been really a step function improvement in being able to infer from our vast product catalogue about how to handle a given product, even if I haven't seen that product before.
Ikea has deployed 250 autonomous drones across 73 distribution centres to help manage inventory without human intervention.
They fly around gathering data throughout warehouses, performing standard inventory checks, and verifying if an item has moved locations, is misplaced on another shelf, or is completely missing from the company's inventory.
💊 Health
Moderna's “off-the-shelf” cancer vaccine is showing promising early results.
“We are encouraged by the Phase 1 results of mRNA-4359, which demonstrate its potential to elicit strong antigen-specific T-cell responses while maintaining a manageable safety profile,” said Kyle Holen, Moderna's Senior Vice President and Head of Development, Therapeutics and Oncolog.
Researchers have developed nano-sized cell particles to boost immunotherapy and found a way to supercharge T cells against cancer by giving them extra “batteries”.
“These supercharged T cells overcome one of the fundamental barriers of immunotherapy by penetrating the tumor and overcoming immune barren state in the tumor,” said Shiladitya Sengupta. “It's like we're taking T cells to the fuel station and gassing them up.”
The FDA has cleared the Apple Watch for sleep apnea detection.
You can find and track the new “breathing disturbances” metric in the Health app, where you can also download data to share it with a doctor. Apple says its sleep apnea notification algorithm was developed with “advanced machine learning and an extensive data set of clinical-grade sleep apnea tests.”
Neuralink's Blindsight implant received “breakthrough device” designation, aiming to restore vision.
The experimental device, known as Blindsight, "will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see," Musk said in a post on X.
Genetic research breakthroughs include the discovery of an alternative DNA configuration in the insulin gene, potentially redefining diabetes treatment, and new sickle cell treatments using gene-editing.
“DNA is our genetic material, and its structure usually looks a bit like a twisted ladder called a double helix. This shape is iconic, but alternative DNA structures exist and are thought to potentially play a role in the development of genetic diseases, such as diabetes or cancer.”
💎 Artificial Intelligence
Hollywood is embracing AI, with Lionsgate partnering with Runway to create a custom AI model trained on its vast media library. This deal aims to streamline production processes, potentially saving millions by assisting with tasks like storyboarding and special effects.
“We view AI as a great tool for augmenting, enhancing and supplementing our current operations,” said Lionsgate vice chair Michael Burns in a press release.
Microsoft introduced Copilot Pages, a collaborative document tool within Microsoft 365 Copilot.
In the military sector, Palantir Technologies secured a $100 million contract for AI-powered targeting tools, while Microsoft partnered with Anduril Industries to enhance the U.S. Army's battlefield awareness systems.
“The idea is to enhance soldiers. Their visual perception, audible perception—basically to give them all the vision that Superman has, and then some, and make them more lethal,” Luckey elaborated in an interview with WIRED.
In an unexpected application, archaeologists are using AI to analyse Cold War-era spy satellite imagery, helping to rediscover ancient underground aqueducts across North Africa and the Middle East.
Accenture's survey of C-suite executives suggests that generative AI is delivering on its promises, with nearly half saying their AI investments are outperforming other investments.
“It is the fastest-growing technology we've seen in the history of our company,” said Jack Azagury, group chief executive for consulting at Accenture.
Amazon is launching an AI-powered selling assistant called “Project Amelia” to help sellers navigate ecommerce complexities.
Over time, the company says, the AI assistant will also serve as an autonomous agent, anticipating the needs of sellers and taking action to resolve issues in their storefronts, supply chains and other areas.
WSJ profiled Alexandr Wang, the 27-year-old billionaire founder of Scale AI.
The labor-intensive operation has become so in demand by businesses eager to enter the AI race that Scale's revenue pace tripled last year, boosting its valuation to $14 billion. Wang's stake is estimated at about $1.7 billion.
🛰️ Space
India aims to become the world's third-largest space power, with plans for a reusable rocket, space station, and robotic lunar sample return mission.
If India succeeds... there's reason to believe the South Asian power will do more in space than Russia over the next 15 years.
NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines a $4.8 billion contract for a lunar navigation and communications satellite constellation. LUNR stock jumped 50% last week on the news.
NASA's $5 billion Europa Clipper mission, set to launch next month, aims to explore the potential for life in Europa's hidden ocean.
“We're not a life search mission. We're a habitability mission,” says Robert Pappalardo, Clipper's project scientist at JPL. But finding a hint of life is “not out of the question.”
Google is funding an AI-powered satellite constellation to spot wildfires faster. This FireSat system could play a crucial role in early fire detection and firefighting strategies.
Bloomberg explores why there’s a new race to the moon (12-minute video).
⚙️ Mobility
BMW plans to bring E Ink's colour-shifting tech to cars by 2027. E Ink is best known for the e-paper found in Kindles and some electronic shelf labels.
"The technology consumes very little power, about 20 watts of energy — similar to the power consumption of a car's interior light," Clarke said. "And once the colour is set, it stays that way even when the car is off."
CATL has unveiled a new high-energy-density battery for electric buses, boasting an impressive lifespan of up to 15 years or 1.5 million kilometres.
The Biden administration is awarding over $3 billion in grants to boost domestic EV battery production across 14 states, aiming to reduce China's dominance in battery manufacturing.
☁️ Cloud Computing
Microsoft and BlackRock are leading a $100 billion fund for AI infrastructure, dubbed GAIIP. With an initial $30 billion target, the fund will focus on data centres and power infrastructure to support AI growth.
"The capital spending needed for AI infrastructure and the new energy to power it goes beyond what any single company or government can finance," Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement.
The urgency for this massive investment becomes clear when considering the power demands of AI. The Register reports that some researchers warn AI could soon consume as much electricity as a country like Ireland.
Alibaba Cloud is taking a different approach with its modular datacentre architecture dubbed “CUBE DC 5.0”. This prefab solution claims to reduce deployment times by up to 50 percent compared to traditional methods, featuring a “wind-liquid hybrid cooling system.”
“These enhancements are not just about keeping up with AI demands but about setting a global standard for efficiency and sustainability.”
🌞 Energy
Microsoft is reopening the Three Mile Island nuclear plant to power its AI data centres. The 20-year deal will generate 835 megawatts, enough for 800,000 homes. Constellation Energy will invest $1.6 billion to revitalise the facility, aided by tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act.
"This agreement is a major milestone in Microsoft's efforts to help decarbonize the grid in support of our commitment to become carbon negative," Microsoft VP of Energy Bobby Hollis said in a statement.
Other tech giants are also exploring nuclear energy solutions. Amazon has purchased a nuclear-powered data centre and is currently hiring a principal nuclear engineer. Additionally, both Amazon and Google, along with billionaires like Sam Altman and Bill Gates, are investing in fusion startups.
“The candidate must navigate the permitting and regulatory processes to help AWS deliver capacity-enabling projects,” the listing states.
🎮 Gaming
EA is embracing AI, with CEO Andrew Wilson stating that generative AI is "the very core of our business," with over 100 active AI projects across efficiency, expansion, and transformation categories.
Netflix continues expanding its gaming adaptations, with new anime series based on Cyberpunk, Devil May Cry, and Splinter Cell. Cyberpunk fans can look forward to another trip into Night City, though details remain scarce.
If you’re looking for a new game to play, I’d recommend Satisfactory. From IGN’s recent review (11-minute video):
Satisfactory is the best automation game ever made and I seriously can't recommend it enough. Every moment of the over 130 hours it took to build messy conveyor belt disasters and delightfully efficient factories was engaging, ridiculous, and an absolute blast with friends.
👓 Virtual and Augmented Reality
Snap is making waves with its latest AR Spectacles, featuring four cameras for hand tracking and a “Snap Spatial Engine” for seamless AR integration. Snap is targeting developers with a US$1,188 annual lease to build a robust ecosystem before wider release. Pity they’re so ugly.
Spectacles are the result of a decade of research and development to introduce hardware that breaks the bounds of screens and brings people together in the real world.
Meta is extending its partnership with EssilorLuxottica into the 2030s to develop “multi-generational smart eyewear products.” The collaboration has already integrated Meta AI into smart glasses in North America, enabling hands-free photo capture and information access.
IDC forecasts global VR and AR shipments to surge 41.4% by 2025. The market is expected to grow from 6.7 million units this year to 22.9 million by 2028, fueled by cheaper devices and AI integration.
💻 Chips and Computing
Intel's foundry business has scored a major win, signing a multi-billion-dollar deal with AWS to co-develop an "AI fabric chip" using Intel's 18A process. Intel may also be developing a new x86 architecture, with rumours of a "Cobra Core" promising four threads per core and boosted single-core performance.
"We have tripled our deal pipeline since the beginning of the year," CEO Pat Gelsinger said of Intel Foundry's business in a blog post.
Apple is reportedly introducing its self-developed 5G modem in iPhones by 2025.
TSMC is already producing A16 chips for Apple at its new Arizona plant, with mass production expected by mid-2025.
In India, Lenovo has started manufacturing AI servers, part of its $1 billion global investment in AI platforms and hardware.
💲 Finance
Walmart is introducing a pay-by-bank system for online purchases, potentially reducing fees and offering customers real-time transaction updates.
Hot AI startups are raising back-to-back rounds at rapidly increasing valuations, reminiscent of the 2021 tech boom.
"There's a have and have-not scenario right now where if you're an emerging AI company, despite maybe not having really proven much of anything from the standpoint of revenue or significant user traction, you might be able to get some wildly amazing valuation," said Matt Murphy, a partner at Menlo Ventures. "At the same time, you could be a $50 million business right now growing at 40%, and people might view you as uninteresting because you're not an AI company."
🔗 Blockchain and Crypto
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is spearheading Agora, a blockchain-based project for cross-border payments. 41 companies, including major banks and payment processors, are collaborating with seven central banks to create a unified ledger for trading tokenised assets using central bank digital currencies.
With Agora — Greek for market — the BIS is exploring the creation of an international platform on which tokenized assets can be bought and sold using digital currencies backed by the participating central banks, which issue the world's most important reserve currencies.
🔬 Biology
In space biology, bacteria on the ISS are evolving to survive in low Earth orbit, developing adaptations for microgravity and radiation resistance. These space-adapted microbes may pose new challenges for astronaut health.
"Our study shows that the microorganisms we isolated from the International Space Station have uniquely adapted to survive in space when compared to the Earth counterparts," says Venkateswaran.
Google Cloud and Ginkgo Bioworks have launched a protein large language model and API to accelerate drug discovery.
The confluence of biology, drug discovery, artificial intelligence and advanced engineering has never been more relevant, as all of these verticals have numerous opportunities to grow from each other. This is why companies are rapidly increasing their investments in this arena, and the competition is stiff.
Giant pouched rats are being trained to detect illegal wildlife products, potentially offering a low-cost solution to combat wildlife trafficking at international ports.
The rats were able to accurately detect the illicit materials hidden in containers and packages even when they were masked by other scents, with false alarms below 2 per cent.
Researchers have created a DNA-based computing system capable of storing data, playing chess, and solving Sudoku. This "dendricolloid" structure allows for repeated use without damaging stored data, addressing a key limitation of previous DNA computing attempts.
A “Shazam for whales” now identifies calls from eight whale species, while researchers explore AI's potential to decode animal communication using transformer models (24-minute video).
⚡ Other Snippets
Researchers have developed a tiny nuclear battery that could power devices for decades. Using americium, it generates electricity from a stable green glow. While 8000 times more efficient than previous designs, it would still take 40 billion to light a 60-watt bulb.
"Ideally, we envision our micronuclear battery being used to power miniature sensors in remote or challenging environments where traditional power sources are impractical, like deep-sea exploration, space missions or remote monitoring stations," says Wang.
A new magnetically controlled prosthetic hand allows amputees to reproduce hand movements by thinking (see the paper).
“This system allowed me to recover lost sensations and emotions: it feels like I’m moving my own hand,” says Daniel.
German researchers have developed a method to produce protein and vitamin B9 from microbes using air, water, and renewable energy. This yeast-based alternative could help address global food challenges, with just 85 grams providing 61% of daily protein needs.
“We are approaching 10 billion people in the world, and with climate change and limited land resources, producing enough food will become harder and harder,” says Angenent. “One alternative is growing proteins in bioreactors through biotechnology rather than growing crops to feed animals. It makes agriculture much more efficient.”
For night owls, University of Michigan researchers have developed an OLED that could replace bulky night vision goggles with lightweight glasses (see the paper). This thin-film device converts and amplifies near-infrared light, giving users cat-like night vision.
“One of the most attractive features of this new approach is that it amplifies light within a thin film stack that is less than a micron thick. That's much thinner than a strand of hair, which is about 50 microns thick,” said Chris Giebink, U-M professor of electrical and computer engineering and physics and corresponding author of the study recently published in Nature Photonics.
Have a great week,
Thomas
About Thomas Rice
Thomas Rice co-founded Minotaur Capital, a technology-driven, AI-led global equities fund, and is based in Sydney, Australia. He can be found on the X at @thomasrice_au.