DTN 064: Don't Fear China's Chipmaking Binge
Plus: SpaceX launches Starship and brings it back, the Thousand Brains project, an LLM runs for mayor in Wyoming, new night vision technology, and more.
"I've seen so many former NASA, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and SpaceX people go into aviation and aerospace startups in just the last two or three years. Based on the caliber of founders now in space innovation and commercial aviation, I think the next 20 years are going to be remarkable. There will be new companies built at the scale of Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and others."
The Big Picture
Should the world fear China’s chipmaking binge?
“Chinese chipmakers are in a tough spot. In October 2022 America’s government restricted the export to China of advanced chips and chipmaking gear made using American intellectual property—which is to say virtually all such devices. This makes it near-impossible for Chinese firms to produce leading-edge microprocessors, the kind whose transistors measure a few nanometres (billionths of a metre) across and which power the latest artificial-intelligence models. But it does not stop them cranking out less advanced chips, with transistor sizes measured in tens of nanometres, of the sort that are needed in everything from televisions and thermostats to refrigerators and cars. As a consequence, semiconductor companies from China increasingly dominate chipmaking’s lagging edge. They account for more than half of all planned expansion in global manufacturing capacity for mature chips. This has alarmed Western policymakers. Still, fears that this threatens the security of the West’s supply chains may be misplaced. Although Chinese chipmakers rival foreign makers of mature semiconductors in manufacturing, they are still outmatched when it comes to design, engineering and product reliability. More surprisingly, Chinese foundries are also at a cost disadvantage.” (Economist)
Deep Tech News
A Russian cosmonaut becomes the first person to spend 1,000 days in space
DARPA and Slingshot build system to detect ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ adversary satellites
SpaceX launches mammoth Starship rocket and brings it back for the first time
Boeing’s Starliner overcomes leaks and engine trouble to dock with ‘the big city in the sky’
US clean energy investment reaches record quarterly high of $71B
US startup uses agricultural waste to produce low-cost, safe batteries
Japan billionaire Maezawa cancels Dear Moon space tourism project
Microwave drills from nuclear fusion tech find geothermal energy application
New all-optical approach to revolutionize night vision technology
JPEG of the Week
The Chang'e-6 lander, topped with an ascent vehicle, imaged by a small rover in Apollo crater on the lunar far side.
China's Chang'e-6 mission successfully collected lunar samples from the far side of the moon and launched them into orbit for return to Earth. The samples, expected to land in Inner Mongolia around June 25, could provide insights into lunar history and the early solar system. This mission is part of China's broader lunar program, which aims for crewed missions and a permanent lunar base. (via SpaceNews)
Peer Review
A cracking discovery: Eggshell waste can recover rare earth elements needed for green energy
Scientists create 'living bioelectronics' that can sense and heal skin
Researchers use AI to accelerate the chase for safer, better batteries
Cryptographers discover a new foundation for quantum secrecy
New catalyst brings commercial high-efficiency zinc-air batteries closer to reality
Enhancing green hydrogen production with robust carbon fabric electrocatalysts
A quartz thermal trap harnessed the sun - and is about to change smelting forever
Funding x M&A
Energy Capital Partners secures $6.7B to invest in clean energy industry
Eko Health scores $41M to detect heart disease earlier and more accurately
A16z-backed ZeroMark wants to give soldiers guns that don’t miss against drones
Nuclear fusion startup Xcimer raises $100M to chase laser-based power
iCOMAT, a pioneer in advanced composite manufacturing, raises $22.5M financing
Sword Health, an AI-powered virtual PT startup, raised $130M at a $3B valuation
Materials recovery startup SiTration raised an $11.8M seed round
Miscellanea
IKEA will pay you real money to work in its virtual Roblox store / Researchers use AI to decode the secret language of dog barks / FDA advisors just said no to the use of MDMA as a therapy / How much energy would it take to pull carbon dioxide out of the air / The thousand brains project / Jury finds Boeing stole tech from electric airplane startup / LLM running for Wyoming mayor / Should the world fear China’s chipmaking binge? / Gene-edited salad greens are coming to US stores this fall / World’s first bioprocessor uses 16 human brain organoids, consumers less power / Artificial geyser can compensate for our mineral shortages / Survival of the richest: Inside the short-lived fallout shelter bubble / Nuclear material left in “Swap Shop” at UK Hacker camp / Cis-lunar space and the security dilemma / New theory suggests time is an illusion created by quantum entanglement / Psychedelics are challenging the standard of randomized controlled trials / The world’s largest 3D printer is building cozy homes from wood / The FBI ran a cell phone company for criminals
The Deep Tech Agency.
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