This Week in Charts 7-8-22
~ this article is a transcript of a Youtube video which provides a deep dive into these issues. ~
In this show we look at a summary of some information funniness through my network. As usually, our program begins with corporate charts, covers 3D printing news, and finishes up by analyzing financial technology. here’s what on the docket today:
In corporate charts:
- Energy sources as a factor in chip manufacturing;
- A new application of quantum technology;
- Opinions on the economic outlook in America;
- And some metrics of corporate reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In 3D printing news:
- 3D printed satellites and new factors of success;
- Advances in printing bio-electric materials;
- And a test of muscular regeneration with 3D printed implants.
In financial technology:
- How to build a country of fintech unicorns;
- Industry inroads by crypto exchange powerhouse FTX;
- And Apple integrates ApplePay into their CarPlay service.
With that rundown, let’s get into the news
Corporate Charts
Semiconductor manufacturers are factoring in sustainability considerations as they map out locations for their fabrication plants, or fabs. These fabs must pull electricity from a combination of on-grid and off-grid sources. Some regions around the globe, such as Europe and the United States, offer more reliable access to renewable energy than others. This chart gives us a pretty good look at who’s leading various categories of renewable energy by percentage, with Europe as the most renewable, South Korea as the most nuclear, and Singapore reliant on fossil fuels.
Meeting net-zero goals won’t be possible without huge advances in climate technology. That’s where quantum computing could help. Quantum computing could address thorny sustainability problems such as curbing methane produced by agriculture, making the production of cement emissions-free, and improving electric batteries for vehicles. All told, quantum impacts could help put the world back on track to reaching the net-zero emissions goal by 2050. Analysis of current models calculates the weight of this impact, specifically to the tune of one and a half degrees Celsius by 2050. Personally, I think this is a rather conservative calculation.
Over the past year, Americans have become increasingly pessimistic about their access to economic opportunity—and women are generally more pessimistic than men. On your screen are some of the findings from McKinsey’s recent American Opportunity Survey, which polled 25,000 people across demographic categories including identity, age group, and income level. Across the board, opinions are pessimistic as zero categories improved their outlook. Notable outliers include:
Transgender and nonbinary individuals are the most critical of the situation;
25-34 year-olds are the most optimistic age group;
African-Americans are widely optimistic, Caucasian folks edge toward pessimistic, and Asian-Americans lean towards optimism.
The corporate sector reacted swiftly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Among businesses based in Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States, nearly 85 percent left or scaled back their operations in Russia. And 70 percent of the Fortune 500 companies that operated in Russia prior to the war opted to leave or scale back their business once the conflict began. Breaking down the chart, we see in the center column the total number of organizations in a given industry with presence in Russia, sorted by the national location of their headquarters. To the left are those organizations which have opted to continue operations, and to the right are those who voluntarily discontinued operations in Russia. In each sector, the majority of businesses headquartered in a Western country like the USA, the UK, or the EU, have scaled back trade in the Russian Federation.
3D Printing News
Our focus now turns toward 3D printing news, a powerful emerging technology that the producers are keen to track. Like many of these applications, our first story takes us out of this world:
Aussies Print Satellites
In 2018, Australian startup Fleet Space launched that country’s first four nanosatellites. Today, in partnership with printer specialist Konica Minolta and additive equipment maker 3D Systems and backed by a grant from the Australian government, Fleet Space embarks on a mission to improve the connectivity of the global internet of things with the advent of their low-cost Alpha satellite fleet. Intended to supplement the existing Centauri satellites, the Alpha model is entirely 3D printed and features an extra level of endurability: integration of spray-on shielding to protect against harsh ionizing radiation experience in low-earth orbit, or LEO. Notably, the project makes use of 3D Systems’ powerful DMP Flex 350 printer, a machine that has been praised by users as a tool perfect for precise, repeatable, and scalable operations.
Organic Semiconductor Fabrication
A recent publication by researchers at the University of Houston describes the success of 3D printed micro-scale organic electronics. The team created a unique 3D printing resin infused with organic semiconductor material which was then used to fabricate objects including a micro-printed circuit board. Even minimal integration of the organic semiconductor (OS) material improved electrical conductivity to the tune of ten orders of magnitude. The team predicts applications in the emerging field of “flexible bioelectronics, biosensors, nanoelectronics, organ-on-chips, and immune cell therapies.”
3D Printing Aids Cellular Regeneration
A group of researchers with funding from the local government in Spain’s Andalusia province produced a new class of biocompatible polymers for the 3D printing of medical implants. Andaltec’s shape memory polymer can change shape in a controllable and predictable way, pushing the development into what industry experts call “4D printing”. Tests have confirmed that the thermally activated graphene-infused polymer is compatible with the necessary class of cells. This is a big step for hospitals looking to make use of additive technology for highly-customized rehabilitation applications to foster cellular regeneration.
Financial Technology
Our final three stories today focus on financial technology, with the producers requesting a shoutout to portfolio holder Fintech Collective. Our first report is a success story at the crossroads of finance and technology investment:
France Fosters Fintech Unicorns
In 2019 Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic set an industry goal for his country to host 25 tech unicorns by the year 2025. Having reached that number ahead of schedule in 2022, Macron now sets loftier goals of 100 unicorns by 2030. These goals come on the back end of government initiatives to develop a “start-up ecosystem”. Initiatives which include the advent of the public investment bank BPI, the passing of the Business Growth and Transformation Act of 2019, and a vast simplification of the nation’s previously labarynthine labor code. These and other changes have invited foreign investment which has spiked to its highest levels in recent years. Altogether, the new business environment is a step toward Macron’s vision of a united Europe.
FTX Goes on Offensive
Last week I reported on the similarities between the actions of 20th-century magnate JP Morgan and the modern cryptocurrency giant FTX’s CEO Bankman-Fried. There’s no doubt that FTX is positioning itself as a leader and trend-setter for crypto exchange, and today we’ll see a couple more of its initiatives. While admitting that acquisition negotiations are not yet formal, Bankman-Fried shares that FTX is actively seeking the purchase of a significant stake in the app-based trading platform Robinhood. Further, FTX is reportedly close to a deal to purchase fellow crypto platform Blockfi in what many are calling a firesale, as the $25 million offer is far below Blockfi’s most recent valuation. While the purchase offer is unconfirmed by both parties, it is common knowledge that just last week FTX provided Blockfi with a $250 million emergency line of credit to give some sense of stability in the current crypto bear market.
ApplePay from your Car
Apple wants you to start buying gas directly from your car dashboard as early as this fall, when the newest version of its CarPlay software rolls out, a move that accelerates the company's push to empower your vehicle as a purchase point for goods and services. A new feature will allow CarPlay users to tap an app to navigate to a pump and then buy gas directly from the embedded screen in the car, bypassing the usual process of inserting or tapping a credit card. Note that Apple does not currently charge automakers for integration of this feature, offering CarPlay free after abandoning the development of the Apple Car. Rolling out this fall, the pump-pay initiative has received pushback from automakers and requests for integration by fuel providers. All part of Apple’s wide-reaching goals of providing frictionless payment where possible.
And that’s the last story in our show today. All this data and its sources can also be found at griffinreview.com and I encourage you to join the conversation on our Discord server. As always thanks for watching and I’ll see you next week on This Week in Charts.
