Some technologies always seem like they’re at least (or forever) 10 years away from significant commercialization. Advanced nuclear technology and fusion energy are a couple that immediately come to mind. We’ve pretty much given up on investing in graphene. On the other hand, autonomous vehicles are on the road today. That’s one reason why retail […]
There’s an ongoing debate about the optimal way for computers to see the world as humans can. Computer vision proposes that computers will digest a video stream in the same way our eyes do and react accordingly. LiDAR proposes that computers see using a form of radar that also supports night vision. Both methods will […]
Those with very little capital to invest often look for ways to increase it exponentially while taking on loads of risk in the process. We call this “finding the next Tesla.” Usually, this starts with a theme that’s easy to understand and compelling. Robots are a great example. Then it’s off to ask the Ministry […]
Last year, we opted to exit our position in Appen (APX.AX), an Australian company whose core business involves annotating and labeling training data for AI models. It turned out to be a good decision: Appen has lost nearly -70% in the last year, compared to +38% for the NASDAQ during that time. Our main argument […]
After Edward Snowden leaked that the National Security Agency (NSA) used backdoor channels to gain access to smartphones, webcams, and traffic cameras, people have become paranoid that the government is watching through our devices. The rise of sticky notes and cover slides attached to webcams is a testament to that fact. (Never mind the hackers […]
Last year, investors rode some record highs. The market charged upward, despite The Rona. More investors spazzed out on SPACs, to the tune of nearly 250 IPOs that raised about $80 billion. That’s about as much funding ($80.6 billion) that was funneled into global healthcare startups in 2020. That’s a new record, according to the […]
We recently wrote about the nascent and unprofitable carbon capture market – and suddenly it seemed like everyone was talking about how we need new, scalable technologies for removing and recycling CO2 into everything from energy to cement. It didn’t hurt that Mr. Elon Musk happened to announce the same day that he was putting […]
If you had to pick the one technology under the broad umbrella of artificial intelligence that has had the most impact on business and society today, it’s probably computer vision. It’s certainly the most mature, with the earliest research dating back to the days when Elvis first became a hip-swaying phenomenon. The original machine vision […]
“I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.” That’s probably one of the most chilling lines of any sci-fi AI villain. HAL, the sentient computer that runs the ship in 2001: A Space Odyssey, has decided that humans are superfluous to its mission. That iconic scene has influenced how we think about the role […]
“Ambarella is an artificial intelligence (“AI”) company,” says the first line in a recent Ambarella (AMBA) investor presentation to Morgan Stanley. More than four and a half years ago, we wrote about how Ambarella was seeing very strong revenue growth selling semiconductor processing solutions for video in four primary segments: camera-based advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), wearable cameras […]