Before we get to today’s issue, I’d like to ask a favor of all readers…
I’d like to personally invite you to my free technology investment summit tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET. We’re calling it the “Early Stage Tech Summit.” We’ll be broadcasting from The Study at Yale, a venue a stone’s throw from Yale University, where I’m enrolled in a 10-month executive leadership program.
I’ll be sitting down to have a frank conversation about the future of technology. I’ll reveal four of my biggest predictions for the future of tech, and I’ll give you details on the four early stage tech companies that I believe could make investors a small fortune in the years ahead.
If you’ve enjoyed The Bleeding Edge, then I know you’ll want to attend this event. Reserve your spot here.
Now on to today’s issue…
Is fuelless spaceflight possible?
Longtime readers of mine will know I’m fascinated with space. I earned my B.S. in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Purdue University. I’m even an angel investor in a company called Axiom Space, which is building the world’s first commercial space station. So when an interesting space tech story arrives on my radar, I share it with readers.
Fuel is the biggest challenge when it comes to space travel.
As I mentioned on Friday, right now, we use liquid hydrogen and water for fuel. But both are heavy… which makes it expensive to get them up to space. And their availability limits our range of flight once we get there.
This is actually a primary motivation for building a human presence on the moon. We will be able to produce rocket fuel from the resources available on the moon.
But there is a technology called the EmDrive (electromagnetic drive) that may make space fuel unnecessary. Here’s how it works…
The EmDrive converts electricity into microwaves and bounces them off a rocket cone. Theoretically, that produces thrust that ejects out the end of the cone, propelling the spacecraft forward.
So the only input you need is electricity. And when a spacecraft is in space, conversion of the sun’s energy into power is easy. That’s how space travel could work without the need for heavy hydrogen fuel.
Here’s where it gets mind-boggling…
If Newton’s laws of motion are correct, the EmDrive should not work. It would violate centuries of established physics. That’s why many scientists have been skeptical. And while early tests demonstrated promise, they were not conclusive.
But we are about to find out once and for all if the EmDrive works…
Scientists are conducting a controlled EmDrive experiment in Germany and will publish the results this August. With all the controls in place, this experiment will determine for sure whether the technology works.
If it does, we are talking about a radical breakthrough.
This would change the dynamics of space exploration. We wouldn’t have to bring as much fuel to orbit, resulting in lower costs. And once there, solar energy can be used to fuel the EmDrive. Then we can explore every nook of our own solar system… and beyond.
I’m not going to make any predictions on the outcome of the test results in August. This is really the definition of bleeding edge. But I follow these kinds of scientific research because if there is a technological breakthrough, they have immense investment implications.
I often track scientific research and private companies years before they go public. It is how I find some of my very best investment ideas for Exponential Tech Investor.
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An AI start-up with three odd backers…
As you know, artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the hottest themes in tech. AI is disrupting industries and reshaping the world at a rapid rate… And I believe it will provide some of the best investment opportunities of our lives.
That’s why I am constantly plugged into the AI community… And a small AI start-up really caught my eye over the weekend.
Luminous is an early stage company that just completed a $9 million seed round. It is developing semiconductors for AI based on silicon photonics. In other words, it is making AI chips that transmit data by light instead of copper wires.
That makes them much faster than legacy chips. In fact, Luminous is working on an AI chip that could perform the same amount of work as 3,000 of Google’s proprietary AI chips.
That’s what caught my eye. Just like the EmDrive, if successful, Luminous’ silicon photonics approach to AI chips would be revolutionary.
And there’s more to the story: The company is backed by Bill Gates, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and current Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.
That’s an odd group of backers. And it tells me two things.
First, you must have a great tech to attract somebody like Bill Gates. He doesn’t just throw money around. And he sees the best investment opportunities every day. When he puts his money down, he obviously sees something pretty extraordinary. And the word is that Luminous already has a working prototype, which means the company was able to demonstrate performance.
Second, Uber must be ramping up work on its self-driving division. That’s a logical reason for Khosrowshahi to put money down to keep tabs on these developments. And former CEO Travis Kalanick has been rumored to have hopes to rejoin the company at some stage – after all, he never wanted to leave in the first place.
So I will certainly keep an eye on Luminous as it progresses. I believe silicon photonics will play a big role in the semiconductor industry going forward.
In fact, just last month, I recommended the world’s leading silicon photonics player in my Exponential Tech Investor service. Subscribers can catch up here.
Apple expands its self-driving technology…
Last week, Apple quietly acquired a self-driving start-up called Drive.ai. Not many have heard of this company… But it’s been operating a self-driving car fleet in Frisco and Arlington, Texas, since August of last year. That’s right, it has a real operating fleet of self-driving cars.
It works just like Uber. Passengers hail a ride through a phone app… And then a self-driving car picks them up. Arlington residents, for instance, use the service to go to the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium… Texas Rangers’ stadium… the Arlington Convention Center… and even the prime CenterPoint office complex.
What’s interesting is Drive.ai uses neural networks to help cars make decisions. These are computer networks that use AI to “learn” by example, much like a human brain. And I’m sure that’s what Apple is interested in.
My industry contacts have told me that Apple is restructuring its self-driving division, called Project Titan. But there were questions whether Apple was serious about moving forward in this space. Now it’s clear.
Tesla, Uber, Lyft, and Google’s Waymo have led the way in self-driving technology. Apple has been behind in autonomous driving. This acquisition is certainly a step in the right direction. And in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple make a much larger acquisition within the next 12–18 months to close the gap.
Regards,
Jeff Brown
Editor, The Bleeding Edge
P.S. One last reminder…
As you’ve seen in today’s Bleeding Edge, technology is progressing at an exponential rate. AI and self-driving cars aren’t decades away. And that means the investment implications are enormous. Smart investors stand to make 10 times their money as this megatrend plays out. If you haven’t already, sign up to attend my free technology investing summit this Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Go right here to reserve your spot.