Welcome back to your daily dossier talking AI, robotics, crypto and the future of tech. 👾

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

📉 Intel faces challenging year; Broadcom achieves record growth.
🤖 Innovative ‘lazy’ robots could enhance energy efficiency.
💰 Galaxy research predicts Bitcoin and Ethereum surge in 2025.
🔍 Exploring the global economic system with Tariq Ali & Matt Kennard.
🍎 Anticipated Apple innovations set for 2025 release.

AI

• Intel faces challenging year; Broadcom achieves record growth

  • Intel lost 60% of its value in 2024, the biggest drop in its 53 years as a public company.

  • Broadcom’s stock price more than doubled, with its best month ever coming in December after the company’s earnings report.

  • The driving force behind the diverging narratives was artificial intelligence.

• Judge allows California’s ban on addictive feeds for minors to go into effect

  • A judge has upheld California's ban on addictive social media feeds for minors, allowing the law to take effect.

  • The law targets features like infinite scrolling and autoplay, aiming to reduce harmful screen time and protect mental health.

  • Social media companies argue the law violates free speech and imposes impractical technical restrictions.

• ByteDance planned to spend $7B on Nvidia chips next year

  • ByteDance planned to allocate $7 billion in 2025 for Nvidia chips to enhance its AI infrastructure and capabilities.

  • The spending highlights ByteDance's commitment to strengthening AI-driven features across its platforms, including TikTok.

  • This investment underscores the increasing demand for Nvidia’s GPUs in the competitive AI technology race.

ROBOTICS

• Innovative ‘lazy’ robots could enhance energy efficiency

  • The rapid growth of AI and robotics is driving significant increases in energy consumption.

  • The resource-intensive nature of training and operating AI models poses challenges for sustainable development.

  • Researchers and companies are exploring renewable energy to reduce the carbon footprint of AI.

• The Rise of humanoid robots in 2024

  • Humanoid robots are becoming more advanced and visible in industries like healthcare, logistics, and customer service.

  • Companies like Tesla, Agility Robotics, and Figure AI are leading developments, focusing on making humanoid robots more agile.

  • The global market for humanoid robots is expected to grow significantly

• Samsung Electronics becomes largest shareholder of South Korea's Rainbow Robotics

  • Samsung Electronics has become the largest shareholder in South Korea's Rainbow Robotics by increasing its stake to 22.82%.

  • Rainbow Robotics specializes in humanoid robots and robotic arms, aligning with Samsung's strategy to expand into the robotics sector.

  • This move highlights Samsung's commitment to positioning itself as a leader in next-generation technologies like robotics and automation.

CRYPTO

• Galaxy research predicts Bitcoin and Ethereum surge in 2025

  • Galaxy Digital predicts Bitcoin could reach $185,000 and Ethereum $5,500 by 2025, driven by institutional adoption and macroeconomics.

  • The approval of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs is expected to boost investor confidence and significantly expand market participation.

  • Favorable regulatory developments and increasing demand for digital assets are seen as key drivers.

• Solana swap app is trying to make sandwich attacks more costly

  • DFlow put an interesting solution on the table in proposing conditional liquidity to divide toxic from non-toxic order flow.

  • Earlier this year, Solana’s network congestion created a lot of concern over traders’ ability to land transactions onchain.

  • Segmenters are meant to create a marketplace for order flow, and wallets send them.

• Microstrategy continues to accumulate Bitcoin, now holds $41B

  • MicroStrategy has increased its Bitcoin holdings to a value of $4.1 billion, still a major institutional investor in cryptocurrency.

  • The company remains committed to accumulating Bitcoin despite market fluctuations.

  • MicroStrategy’s growing Bitcoin reserves highlight institutional confidence in cryptocurrency as a store of value.

CONTENT

• Exploring the global economic system with Tariq Ali & Matt Kennard

  • Tariq Ali and Matt Kennard discuss the elite nature of Western governments and economies, ways of countering this structure.

  • They also expose the workings of the global economy and the flaws in the current world order.

  • Ali is a writer, political activist and filmmaker, and is considered to be a leading figure of the international left.

• Young innovator challenges Y Combinator’s prestige after viral successes

  • Schiffmann addresses technical challenges in AI memory systems, focusing on innovative solutions.

  • He advocates for creating new market categories rather than competing in existing ones.

  • The conversation blends technical AI developments with philosophical approaches to building startups.

• Bringing space data down to Earth

  • Earth observation satellites now capture hundreds of terabytes of images daily, offering unprecedented data access.

  • Millen Anand, an Engineering Fellow at a16z, explores how this satellite data is driving innovation across industries.

  • Key applications include monitoring environmental changes and optimizing supply chains, showcasing the transformative potential of satellite technology.

AND MORE…

• Anticipated Apple innovations set for 2025 release

  • Apple is expected to release the iPhone 17 series with improved camera systems and the M4 chip.

  • The second-generation Vision Pro headset is anticipated, offering refined features and a more accessible price point.

  • iOS 19, macOS 15, and other software updates are likely to bring new features focused on AI-driven innovations.

• Volkswagen leak exposed location data for 800,000 electric cars

  • Volkswagen experienced a data breach, exposing sensitive information, including the real-time location of its electric vehicles (EVs).

  • The breach raises privacy concerns for EV owners, as location data and other details were reportedly accessible for an unknown period.

  • Volkswagen is investigating the scope of the breach and implementing measures to strengthen its data security systems.

• Jupiter’s great red spot isn’t as permanent as we thought

  • Researchers discovered Jupiter's Great Red Spot, a massive storm, is shrinking but remains focus for understanding planetary weather.

  • The storm's persistence over centuries and its high-speed winds offer insights into the atmospheric dynamics of gas giants.

  • Great Red Spot helps scientists understand atmospheric phenomena on other planets, contributing to comparative planetology research.