Morning Thrust | Weekly Highlights (18th Edition: 16.04.2023)

Welcome to the 18th edition of Morning Thrust where I share weekly highlights on Future tech, Space Economy, Sustainability, Smart Cities, Supply Chain, Logistics & more (Edition: 16.04.2023)

#SiliconValley investors, including Andreessen Horowitz , Tiger Global Management and IVP , have been visiting #SaudiArabia, the United Arab Emirates (#UAE) and #Qatar, seeking to build long-term ties with sovereign wealth funds. These visits come as the traditional North American and European backers of Silicon Valley venture capital firms contend with an economic downturn, which has forced them to rein in private investments. Gulf officials and young royals are encouraging #VCs to come to the region, as they seek to diversify their economies away from oil with investments in hot tech sectors such as artificial intelligence, smart cities & space.

苹果 's main Irish subsidiary, Apple Operations International, paid €7.7bn in corporation tax in 2020. However, it paid out nearly triple that amount in dividends to its California parent company, with profits of over $69bn. The subsidiary is facing legal challenges over its tax arrangements in Ireland. The European Commission ordered #Apple to pay €13bn in back #taxes to Ireland in 2020, but a Luxembourg court later ruled that the commission failed to prove that Apple had benefited from an allegedly illegal arrangement. Apple Operations International and its subsidiaries employ about 56,600 staff, of whom 6,000 are based in #Ireland.

宜家 is launching a new interior design service that offers customers one-on-one assistance in decorating and furnishing their rooms. The service includes three one-on-one video calls with an #IKEA designer who will create mood boards, 3D renderings, floor plans, drawings, and a list of products and material options. The service is available to anyone in the US for a fee of $99 per room for individuals and $299 per room for businesses. Customers can also use the service for their kitchens. The move represents IKEA's expansion into service offerings, leveraging its ownership of Taskrabbit to link customers with DIY experts to put ordered furniture together when it arrives.

Matt Wytock , founder and CEO of Gridmatic , discusses how #generativeAI can be used in the energy sector to #decarbonise the grid. Generative AI is a type of #AI that creates new content based on patterns and structures learned from existing data, making it particularly useful for complex data analysis, pattern recognition, forecasting, and optimisation. Gridmatic uses generative AI to predict #energy demand, forecast #renewable energy output, optimize grid management, trade energy, and offer targeted energy efficiency programs. The company has successfully used its algorithms to trade energy in all seven ISOs, optimise energy storage systems for an average uplift of 28% in revenue, and enable 24/7 carbon-free energy supply for a Texas data center. @Gridmatic has also launched a retailer, Gridmatic Retail, to optimise clean energy purchasing for commercial and industrial customers.

Elon Musk is reportedly planning to launch an artificial intelligence (#AI) company called X.AI to compete with OpenAI , the creator of #ChatGPT. Musk has recruited a team of #AI researchers and engineers and is in talks with investors about the project. He has reportedly acquired thousands of high-powered GPU processors and hired engineers from leading AI labs. #Musk's new startup will enable him to compete with #OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015 but left the board after three years due to disagreements with management, including over #AIsafety. The move, which would put Musk in direct competition with 微软 , 谷歌 , 亚马逊 and startups including OpenAI , appears to signal a rapid change of direction. Musk has previously expressed concern about the potential threats of #generativeAI, including the spread of false information and political bias.

The gaming industry in Pakistan is predicted to generate revenue of over $200 million in 2023 with an annual growth rate of 9.77% from 2023-2027, according to Pakistan IT Industry Association (P@SHA) Chairman, Muhammad Zohaib Khan . However, he believes that Pakistan’s gaming industry is still not reaching its full potential. The CEO of @Si Global, Noman Said , suggests that establishing training centers for aspiring game developers could help Pakistan’s gaming industry. Kapeel Kumar ???? ???? , a specialist in startup investment, believes that investing in the gaming industry would revolutionize research and innovation in #Gaming, #VFX, #ComputerVision, and AI. The P@SHA chairman referred to Statista Market Forecast and the International Trade Center ITC and explained that Pakistan has the potential to become the next regional hub in game development.

Emirates Telecommunications, majority-owned by the United Arab Emirates, has announced a $400 million investment in a super app managed by Careem , Uber 's Middle Eastern subsidiary. The move is part of e& 's strategy to become a #technology and #investment powerhouse, following a $4.4 billion investment in Vodafone in May last year. The investment is also aimed at increasing demand for e&'s mobile phone packages by giving customers pre-loaded apps. The interest in super apps reflects growing affluence in the Middle East, with increased demand for rapid #deliveryservices and digital payments.

Deliveroo CEO William S. said that building a #local community of businesses is crucial for delivering categories like grocery, health, and beauty online. Deliveroo is evaluating adding health and beauty services, among others, to its repertoire of services. The company views this as building a #hyperlocal delivery network, not diversification. Investing in add-on businesses can help companies maintain steady growth in the face of inflationary pressures, particularly in the food delivery market. Deliveroo 's HOP service, which promises grocery deliveries under 10 minutes, has put it in the quick commerce space. On the other side, Deliveroo has no plans to start operations in India, but will grow its number of employees at its Indian IDC from 140 to 200 by the end of 2023.

Rappi , the Colombian delivery platform, has acquired Box Delivery , a Brazilian delivery company. However, the purchase is still being analysed by Brazil's antitrust authority, Cade. Box Delivery had sales of BRL 200 million (USD 39.4 million) in the last year. Two months ago, Cade imposed new competition rules on iFood , limiting the platform's exclusivity with restaurants to 25% of its partners through the signing of a consent decree. Rappi 's co-founder praised Cade's decision and expressed optimism about the future of the sector. Other competitors, such as Uber and 99, along with the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants, had requested an investigation into iFood's exclusivity agreements with customers since 2020.

亚马逊 spent $1.2 billion in 2022 and employed over 15,000 people to fight fraudulent #ecommerce products. Amazon has increased its efforts to fight fake reviews and counterfeit products to maintain trust with customers and vendors. The company includes machine learning scientists, software developers, and investigators to protect customers, brands, selling partners, and the company's store from counterfeit, fraud, and abuse. #Amazon reported that their efforts have paid off, with a decrease in the number of "bad actor" attempts to create new selling accounts and brands finding fewer infringing products on their online store. The company also confiscated over $6 million counterfeit items in 2022.

Council of the European Union and African Union ECOSOCC partnership includes space cooperation through the #EU Global Action on #Space initiative. The NewSpace Africa Conference 2023 is an opportunity for African and European entities to meet and develop collaborations with the help of business coaching services made available by the EU Global Action on Space. The space sector is booming, and specific market segments hold the most potential for cooperation, such as Earth Observation and Positioning, Navigation and Timing services. The EU Global Action on Space acts as a bridge and facilitator between European service providers and interested stakeholders, offering free business coaching and support services. The NewSpace Africa Conference 2023 includes an EU-AU Space Seminar and a pitching session for selected European and #African NewSpace companies to showcase their satellite-powered products and explore commercial partnerships. The conference embraces the priorities of a stronger AU-EU partnership and focuses on the theme of Space for Africa's socioeconomic transformation.

#Kenya's first earth observation satellite, #Taifa1, has been successfully launched into space on SpaceX 's Falcon 9 rocket after two failed attempts earlier in the week. The satellite will gather data for agriculture, land, and environment monitoring and will fly over Kenya every four days. The satellite was designed and developed by Kenyans and manufactured in #Bulgaria at a cost of $371,000. The data will be provided to government agencies and private companies for a reasonable fee. Kenya previously launched an experimental #nanosatellite that lifted from the International Space Station in 2018.

New research conducted by #China and the #UnitedStates has found that the #moon has more water in its soil than previously believed. Water molecules and hydroxyls were discovered in the lunar soil samples and shadows, which has scientists excited about the potential of using lunar water for drinking, oxygen, or the chemical components of rocket fuel. The discovery does not change plans for NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration 's #Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable presence on the moon, but it provides further incentive for exploration and discovery. Despite the unknowns, the discovery of water on the moon could potentially reduce the cost and risk of space missions.

The European Space Agency - ESA #Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (#Juice) mission has launched on an eight-year mission to search for signs of #alien life on Jupiter's icy moons. The #spacecraft will flyby #Earth and #Venus before heading to Jupiter's orbit to observe the planet's moons, Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa, which all have their own oceans that scientists believe could support life. Juice's mission cost ￡1.4bn and comes ahead of a similar Jupiter mission launch by NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration . The European Space Agency developed new types of solar cells to help power the spacecraft in a part of space that only receives 3% of the illumination Earth gets from the sun.

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