R&D Management

Yes, questions remain about whether AI chipmaker NVIDIA can maintain its momentum in 2025. NVIDIA’s upcoming Blackwell AI chips have encountered thermal problems when integrated into server racks designed to house up to 72 units. Despite these recent technical hurdles, the company remains an innovation juggernaut. 1. Why NVIDIA is the R&D leader of 2024…

The R&D World Index plummeted last week, dragged down by significant losses across most of its constituents, despite a surge in AI chip demand and major R&D investments signaling continued industry shifts. The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending November 15, 2024, closed at 3,708.90 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The…

For the first time, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has eclipsed Harvard University as the world’s leading institution in scientific research output, according to the 2024 Nature Index, which is based on high-quality research outputs. Several China-based research organizations have jumped in the rankings, with seven of them rounding out the top 10 while…

Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, an accomplished scientist and executive, has been selected as the new senior vice president for research and innovation at the University of Arizona. He is expected to begin his role on November 11th. In this position, Díaz de la Rubia will oversee the university’s vast research portfolio, managing an estimated…

In 2023, Merck & Co. spent more than half of its revenue on R&D. Sure, the figure was inflated thanks to its $10.8 billion acquisition of Prometheus Biosciences, which it budgeted as an R&D cost. But Moderna spent even more as a percentage, $4.85 billion of its $6.85 billion revenue in revenue on R&D while…

In a landscape where R&D teams can spend a sizable chunk of their  time sifting through disparate market data, AI is stepping up to lighten the load. Crunchbase has launched an AI-powered API poised that aims to streamline data gathering and sizing up the competitive landscape — from forecasting funding rounds to charting growth trajectories.…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending October 18, 2024, closed at 4.022.95 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -0.66% (or -26.77 basis points). Thirteen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.21% (Pfizer) to 4.63% (Cisco).  Twelve RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.05% (Sanofi…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending October 11, 2024, closed at 4.049.72 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 1.11% (or 44.32 basis points). Fourteen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.06% (Microsoft) to 5.06% (Eli Lilly & Co.). Eleven RDWI members lost value last week from…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending October 4, 2024, closed at 4.005.40 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 0.62% (or 24.71 basis points). Eight RDWI members gained value last week from 1.07% (Eli Lilly & Co.) to 6.71% (Alibaba).  Seventeen RDWI members lost value the previous week…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending September 13, 2024, closed at 3,924.01 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 2.95% (or 112.59 basis points). Seventeen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.30% (Volkswagen AG) to 14.26% (Oracle). Eight RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.85%…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending August 23, 2024, closed at 3,947.43 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 1.78% (or 68.94 basis points). Twenty-two RDWI members gained value last week from 0.11% (Meta Platforms) to 7.23% (Ford Motor). Three RDWI members lost value the previous week from…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) climbed 2.57% this week, with Eli Lilly leading the charge at a 10.84% gain, while tech giants ramp up AI investments amidst regulatory challenges. In the week ending August 9, 2024, the index closed at 3768.96 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The index was up 2.57% (or 94.45…

[Updated August 8, 2024] The global R&D map is being redrawn, caught between forces of nationalism and the undeniable pull of international collaboration. While the aftershocks of the pandemic and shifting political winds have led some nations to turn inward, the race for innovation is driving a surprising surge in cross-border investment. For instance, South…

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Santa Clara, California, announced last week that its data-center revenue more than doubled year over year, exceeding Wall Street analyst’s estimates. The company also raised its forecast for this year’s sale of AI chips to more than $4.5 billion, an increase of 13% from its forecast three months ago. While this…

Silicon Valley is still where it’s at in terms of R&D. Yes, the region has cut roughly 45,000 tech jobs since 2022, but its dominance in research and development remains unchallenged, based on data from The 2023 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard. And despite the layoffs, many tech companies have reported significant revenue growth. NVIDIA…

Land a six-figure salary and work from your couch? That’s a tangible possibility in the current R&D job market, and specialized skills could be an asset. While some sectors are still reeling from layoffs, there are a considerable number of job openings across R&D roles. Geographic distribution of R&D jobs/salary ranges While California has seen…

Forget writer’s block — Insilico Medicine’s new AI tool, DORA, unleashes an “army of [AI] agents” to churn out a scientific research paper draft in roughly 20 to 25 minutes. Insilico Medicine’s new AI tool, DORA (Draft Outline Research Assistant), is a prime example of this new wave of AI assistants. I recently took the…

R&D is the primary driver of countries’ growth. For 2024, in this 64th annual report, the editors of R&D World are examining not only the level of R&D investment for the coming year but also its productivity – assessing who benefits and to what extent. The latest Global Funding Forecast documents the evolving R&D investments…

First Solar, Tempe, Arizona, recently commissioned what it dubs ‘the largest thin-film R&D center in the Western Hemisphere.’ The company — the U.S.’s largest solar panel manufacturer — has sited its Jim Nolan Center for Solar Innovation in Lake Township, Ohio, which is just south of Akron. The 1.3-million-ft² facility includes a pilot manufacturing line…

A trillion-dollar question hangs over the booming field of artificial intelligence: will the massive investment pay off? Jim Covello, the head of global equity research at Goldman Sachs, sounds a note of caution. “AI technology is exceptionally expensive,” he warns, and to earn back the projected trillion-dollar cost of development and infrastructure, “the technology must…

Let’s say you are repeating a scientific experiment but each time you’re getting a completely different outcome. This is the frustrating reality of the “replication crisis,” a widespread problem affecting nearly every scientific discipline. “We’ve all seen in our own practices how there are many ‘researcher degrees of freedom’ that could lead to studies not…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending June 28, 2024, closed at 3,821.08 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 0.94% (or 35.45 basis points). Thirteen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.28% (IBM) to 5.91% (Ford Motor Co.). Twelve RDWI members lost value the previous week from…

In an era where renewable energy is swiftly gaining popularity, nuclear energy may seem like it’s fading. Yet the energy source could play a crucial role in transforming the U.S. energy sector to combat climate change. It already generates a fifth of the nation’s electricity (775 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and 48% of America’s…

Apple made waves at WWDC 2024 by launching Apple Intelligence (beta coming in the fall), its answer to the booming generative AI space. But while this marks Apple’s public entry into the arena, the company has been quietly assembling an “AI army” behind the scenes for years, and continues to do so with more than…

Once the preserve of Bitcoin evangelists and tech disruptors, the database technology underlying cryptocurrencies, blockchain, is now of enormous significance in the ever-changing landscape of R&D. R&D can only function if three things are true: Innovation is encouraged, and R&D proceeds unfettered. Trade secrets and IP are sufficiently protected. There is recourse if intellectual property…