💊 Harrison.ai's Radiology Breakthrough, ⚡ Superconducting Power Lines, and 🌐 AirTrunk's $24B Acquisition
Thomas's Innovation Wrap #94
Greetings,
Here’s your weekly wrap of technology, innovation, and finance news.
💎 Artificial Intelligence
Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's former chief scientist, has raised an impressive $1 billion seed round for his new AI startup, Safe Superintelligence (SSI), at an estimated $5 billion valuation. Not bad for a 3-month old company! The company aims to develop safe AI systems that surpass human capabilities.
Anthropic launched Claude Enterprise, a powerful AI assistant with a massive 500,000 token context window. Prior Claude models were limited to 200,000 tokens.
"That's like one hundred 30-minute sales transcripts. That's 100,000 lines of code to give Claude context to create new, meaningful work products."
HyperWrite's Reflection 70B claimed to be the top open-source AI model. Whoops, scratch that! Turns out some are saying that claim is fraudulent, and they could simply be providing a wrapper around Anthropic’s very proprietary Claude 3.5 Sonnet model.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is pivoting the whole company to AI agents, with Agentforce enabling users to build custom AI agents that interact directly with customers. Agentforce is set up for a full launch in October.
A recent study of software developers found that GitHub Copilot increased completed tasks by 26.08%, with less experienced developers benefiting most.
A new AI model developed by researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks could potentially predict major earthquakes months in advance by detecting early signs of seismic activity.
Google has quietly integrated Gemini AI into Chrome’s address bar. It’s accessible by simply typing “@gemini” followed by your query.
FraudGCN is a new machine learning technique that can predict accounting fraud across entire supply chains and industries, not just individual firms (see the paper).
SK Broadband has introduced an AI-powered solution for producing local cable TV news, dramatically reducing production time from 45 minutes to just 4 minutes.
Users can create news by selecting an AI reporter, voice, templates, background music, etc., from anywhere with an internet connection, simply by entering the article content.
You know how some AI models can animate a still image to make it look like it’s talking? Bytedance & Zhejiang University have developed an improved technique for that with Loopy, which creates more natural and realistic lip-syncing and facial expressions than prior models (see the paper and many more examples).
💻 Chips and Computing
Elon Musk's xAI has unveiled its “Colossus” supercomputer, boasting 100,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs with plans to double in size.
Intel has launched its Lunar Lake Core Ultra 200V CPUs, featuring embedded memory and a new GPU architecture that outperforms Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite in gaming. Meanwhile, Qualcomm is targeting affordable AI PCs with its new Snapdragon X Plus chip.
In quantum computing, Google has made a breakthrough in error correction, potentially enabling large-scale quantum computers.
"With below-threshold surface codes, we have demonstrated processor performance that can scale in principle, but which we must now scale in practice," writes the team.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is integrating diamond quantum accelerators into its supercomputers, exploring hybrid quantum-classical systems.
Now, ORNL has chosen to partner with Quantum Brilliance for a hybrid quantum-classical project built on the Australian-German startup’s room temperature quantum accelerator — made from diamond — to give its supercomputers a quantum boost.
TSMC plans to introduce CoW-SoW (System-on-Wafer) packaging technology by 2027, enabling massive chips for AI applications.
Interestingly, TSMC's CoW-SoW is employed by Cerebras, which is said to be the largest wafer-scale chip for the AI markets; hence, the Taiwan giant has experience with gigantic AI chips.
OpenAI is reportedly eyeing TSMC's 1.6nm process for its first in-house AI chip.
Instead of negotiating with TSMC to build a dedicated wafer factory, which is ridiculous when you think about it, the AI model maker is believed to be pursuing the fabrication of its own machine-learning accelerating ASIC with the help of Broadcom and Marvell on a TSMC node.
Former Intel experts have launched AheadComputing, a RISC-V focused startup, while Nvidia is expanding into full AI factory services, aiming to dominate the AI ecosystem.
CEO Jensen Huang is attempting to build Nvidia into a one-stop service platform with all the key data center elements. It will no longer just be a high-end chip hardware supplier, but an "AI factory."
💊 Health
Harrison.ai's new radiology-specific AI model, Harrison.rad.1, is outperforming major tech giants in interpreting medical images. This Australian med-tech company is pushing the boundaries of AI in healthcare, potentially revolutionising diagnosis and treatment timelines.
"AI's promise rests on its foundations – the quality of the data, rigour of its modelling and its ethical development and use," Aengus Tran, co-founder and CEO of Harrison.ai said. "Based on these parameters, the Harrison.rad.1 model is groundbreaking."
Organ transplantation advances with EGenesis raising $191 million for pig organ transplants and there’s a new “nanowarming” process extending organ viability.
Auburn University researchers have shown promising results in treating early-stage Alzheimer's using a novel drug called troriluzole.
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered a groundbreaking antibody called SC27 that can neutralise all known COVID-19 variants. This could pave the way for more effective treatments and potentially a universal vaccine against the ever-evolving virus.
A groundbreaking gene therapy trial has shown remarkable improvements in vision for patients with a rare genetic disorder, with some experiencing up to a 10,000-fold increase in sight.
Studies show that saline nasal sprays may reduce cold symptoms by two days when used early, proving sometimes the simplest solutions can be surprisingly effective.
Researchers are exploring how microgravity can enhance cancer detection by allowing for larger bubble formation in blood samples.
"Microgravity provides an ideal environment to explore physics fundamentals by removing one of our universe's fundamental forces," explained Twyman Clements, president of Space Tango.
🛰️ Space
SpaceX aims to launch uncrewed Starships to Mars by 2026, with crewed flights potentially following in 2028. Elon Musk's ambitious goal is to build a self-sustaining Martian city within two decades.
"Being multiplanetary will vastly increase the probable lifespan of consciousness, as we will no longer have all our eggs, literally and metabolically, on one planet."
The US Navy is adopting SpaceX’s Starlink to boost connectivity for sailors at sea.
Starlink is facing challenges in Brazil due to the legal dispute between Elon Musk and a Supreme Court Justice over X.
Starlink was caught in the middle after it refused court orders to block access to X, a move that threatened the service's presence in Brazil. Shotwell's comments follow Starlink's announcement that it will comply with the order after Moraes ordered the freezing of Starlink's finances in Brazil.
In a milestone for space manufacturing, the European Space Agency (ESA) has 3D printed the first metal part aboard the ISS.
"With the printing of the first metal 3D shape in space, ESA Exploration teams have achieved a significant milestone in establishing in-orbit manufacturing capabilities."
🧱 Advanced Materials
Aircraft wings that change shape mid-flight might soon be reality, thanks to a new titanium-nickel alloy from Japanese researchers. This material combines steel-like strength with rubber-like elasticity across a wide temperature range, opening up exciting possibilities for adaptive structures.
The material could withstand pressures about 18,000 times greater than atmospheric pressure. This is comparable to the strength of steel, but the new alloy was also about 20 times more elastic than that metal.
Nature continues to inspire materials science, with MIT researchers studying butterfly wing scale formation during metamorphosis. Their findings could lead to new materials with tailored properties for applications from textiles to building surfaces.
“Given the multifunctionality of butterfly scales, we hope to understand and emulate these processes, with the aim of sustainably designing and fabricating new functional materials.”
In semiconductors, power chip makers are advancing gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) technologies to challenge traditional silicon in 5G, AIoT, and electric vehicles.
Topco Scientific expects a surge in advanced packaging material sales for 2025, driven by AI applications and advanced manufacturing demand.
🌞 Renewables
VEIR, a startup co-founded by MIT alumnus Tim Heidel, has developed superconducting power transmission lines that can transport up to 10 times more power than traditional lines using the same infrastructure. This innovation could be crucial for expanding grid capacity to support renewable energy and enhance grid resilience.
"We can deploy much higher power levels at much lower voltage, and so we can deploy the same high power but with a footprint and visual impact that is far less intrusive, and therefore can overcome a lot of the public opposition as well as siting and permitting barriers," Heidel says.
The power industry is racing to replace SF6, a potent greenhouse gas used in high-voltage equipment. Companies like Hitachi Energy are developing alternatives using mostly CO2 and oxygen, trapping 99% less energy in the atmosphere.
Swedish startup Enerpoly is launching the world's first zinc-ion battery megafactory, aiming to fill the 2-10 hour energy storage gap where lithium-ion isn't competitive.
In carbon capture efficiency news, Brookhaven National Laboratory scientists have improved CO2 catalysis speed by a factor of 800, while MIT researchers have developed porous polymeric electrodes (PPEs) that achieve up to 90% utilisation of the active capture material, outperforming previous carbon-based electrodes.
🔬 Biology
Researchers have found a way to make living animals' skin transparent using a common food dye. Scientists discovered that rubbing tartrazine (Yellow No. 5) onto mice skin can render it see-through in minutes, allowing observation of internal organs without invasive procedures (see the paper). The temporary effect lasts 10-20 minutes and could potentially assist in early skin cancer detection, simplify tattoo removal, and improve vein visibility.
When the skin absorbs the dye molecules, this modifies the tissue’s refractive index – the speed at which light travels through it.
Scientists have created “cyborg worms” by connecting AI directly to the nervous systems of tiny C. elegans worms. This fascinating experiment demonstrates how AI and biological brains can work together, with potential implications for treating neurological disorders or enhancing human capabilities.
What's more, the agent and the worm cooperated: if the agent steered the worm straight toward a target but there were small obstacles in the path, the worm would crawl around them.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have used machine learning to investigate viral structures. Applying tools like AlphaFold to hundreds of Flaviviridae virus species has uncovered new viral mechanisms, potentially accelerating vaccine development and pandemic preparedness.
We are one of the first research groups to apply this AI technology at scale to viruses, and the results have huge implications for understanding how viruses get into our bodies and replicate.
⚙️ Mobility
The EV revolution accelerates with Volvo's new 600 km range electric semi truck, potentially enabling full workdays without recharging. In Australia, the EV market is set to explode as Chinese brands prepare to enter, potentially offering EVs in the low $20K range.
A tiny hatch known as the Leapmotor T03 could become the first BEV in the low $20K bracket. The cheapest current models, the MG ZS and GWM Ora, are in the mid-$30s.
Tesla plans to launch Full Self-Driving in China and Europe in early 2025, pending regulatory approvals. This could help maintain Tesla's edge in competitive markets like China.
In Europe, Irish drone delivery company Manna is outpacing US rivals, thanks to drone-friendly EU regulations.
“The number one thing that we deliver is coffee,” Healy said. More often than not, users will order several of these, and maybe also pastries alongside.
In mobile tech, Huawei's new tri-fold smartphone attracted 1.3 million pre-orders in just seven hours. The Mate XT is set to unfold on September 20th, potentially reshaping the foldable phone market.
🎮 Gaming
Roblox is developing an innovative AI tool that can generate 3D environments by treating blocks as tokens, similar to how language models process words. This could significantly speed up game development on their platform.
Roblox is also set to launch paid games on their platform, and are partnering with Shopify for in-game sales.
Winking Studios launched GenMotion.ai, which lets designers create high-quality animations using natural language prompts, streamlining the animation process.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is reportedly entering mass production, with rumours of backwards compatibility and a possible announcement this month.
⚡ Other Snippets
Researchers are exploring the use of hyperaccumulator plants to extract metals like nickel from soil, potentially offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional mining.
A musician in North Carolina allegedly used AI to create hundreds of thousands of fake songs and then used bots to stream them, defrauding music platforms of $10 million in royalties.
Australia is leading global crypto ATM growth, with nearly 1,200 Bitcoin ATMs, up from just 73 two years ago.
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon revealed that the company's secret project with Samsung and Google is a pair of mixed reality smart glasses, not the expected Apple Vision Pro competitor. While details are scarce, the product is expected to debut later this year.
"It's going to be a new product, it's going to be a new experiences," Amon told CNBC. "But what I really expect to come out of this partnership, I want everyone that has a phone to go buy companion glasses to go along with it."
Australian data centre company AirTrunk is being acquired by Blackstone for $24 billion, making it the largest M&A deal in Australia this year. AirTrunk was founded by ex-NEXTDC executive Robin Khuda 8 years ago to capitalise on the rapidly growing demand for hyperscale data centres in the Asia Pacific region. What a great outcome for all involved!
It is also the biggest data centre deal globally. The sector has boomed as technology giants including Amazon and Google seek more processing power and space to house growing artificial intelligence platforms and cloud computing operations.
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.