Welcome to our weekly briefing on R&D headlines shaping technology, energy, manufacturing, and more. In this edition, we continue to explore how the Chinese startup DeepSeek is potentially rewriting AI training assumptions, the potential ripple effects on global energy demand, new tariffs upending automotive supply chains, plus highlights from the Idaho National Laboratory, Procter &…
Tech’s trillion-dollar tumble and 7 other major R&D moves this week
Welcome to our weekly briefing on R&D headlines for January 27, 2025. In this edition, we cover the disruption from China’s DeepSeek reasoning AI model R1, which punches above its weight class. Ostensibly trained on a shoestring budget, it outperforms OpenAI’s o1 by some measures, according to DeepSeek’s technical report. The company also has publicly…
9 major R&D moves this week: NVIDIA expands, Google targets 500M Gemini users, plus J&J’s $15B bid and more
Welcome to our weekly briefing on R&D headlines that are shaping technology, healthcare, and industry. In this edition, we explore NVIDIA’s global expansion plans (plus a sharp rebuttal to new U.S. AI policy), Google’s ambitious Gemini user goals, a big-ticket pharma acquisition, tighter U.S. chip controls, and more. Keep reading for the latest developments and…
Asian tech giants lead U.S. patent rankings
Who is leading in terms of U.S. patents? Asia. While U.S. patent grants rebounded by 4% in 2024 after a four-year decline, the real story is who’s driving innovation: Samsung Electronics maintained its crown for the third straight year with 6,377 patents, TSMC claimed second place with 3,989 patents, according to IFI Claims’ roundup of…
R&D Market Pulse: Biden blocks $14.1B US Steel-Nippon deal, tech stocks drop
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending January 3, 2025, closed at 3,862.49 for the 25 companies in the RDWI — down –0.72% (or -28.10 basis points). Five RDWI members gained value last week, led by AbbVie (+1.80%), while Roche Holdings AG rose the least (+0.31%). Meanwhile, twenty RDWI members dipped, ranging from…
R&D Market Pulse: Honda eyes merger with Nissan, Xerox reacquires Lexmark and Microsoft’s Copilot sparks controversy
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending December 27, 2024, closed at 3,890.59, rising 1.77% (or 67.68 basis points). Automotive stocks, in particular, drove the uptick, with Honda surging by 20.39% after announcing a merger plan with Nissan. Meanwhile, tech giants showed mixed results, as IBM slid slightly (-0.26%) and Microsoft dropped -1.38%.…
R&D Market Pulse: VW to slash 35,000 jobs, cut costs by $1.7 billion
Volkswagen AG, a member of the R&D World Index, announced a significant workforce reduction last week, agreeing with its labor union to cut over 35,000 jobs and billions of dollars in costs, concluding three months of intense negotiations and narrowly avoiding factory closures in Germany. In other news, Merck & Co. invested strategically in Chinese…
New York Stock Exchange features IonQ Technology in quantum computing first
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is showcasing the ion trap chip developed by IonQ, a quantum computing and networking firm. This is the first time a quantum computing company has been featured at the exchange. The ion trap, a foundational component of IonQ’s quantum computers, is on display in the NYSE lobby, emphasizing the…
R&D Market Pulse: US tax policy could spur R&D investment, more than one-third of manufacturers using AI
As 2024 nears its end, global R&D-driven industries are navigating a mix of policy shifts, strategic realignments, and accelerating innovation. A proposed policy change could transform how U.S. companies expense their R&D investments, while manufacturing floors are seeing surging AI integration with over a third of companies successfully deploying the technology. In automotive, GM is…
R&D Market Pulse: Intel gets $8B chip boost; VW sells plant; SoftBank doubles OpenAI stake
From billion-dollar government boosts for chipmakers to a talent war brewing in the tech sector and a major automaker’s retreat from a controversial region, the R&D world saw a week of strategic shifts and high-stakes investments, pushing the R&D World Index up 2.34% for the week ending November 29, 2024. The index closed at 3,852.16…
R&D Market Pulse: Chip wars heat up with TSMC curbing AI chip exports to China as DuPont rides semiconductor surge
The R&D World Index climbed modestly this week thanks to Intel’s substantial gains and strategic expansions in Asia. At the same time, automotive heavyweight Honda faced significant setbacks, highlighting a week of contrasting fortunes in the R&D landscape. The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending November 8, 2024, closed at 3,918.29 for the…
R&D Market Pulse: Volvo/Daimler embrace digital alliance, VW restructures, Toyota bets on AI
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending November 1, 2024, closed at 3,855.65 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -2.70% (or -107.16 basis points). Eight RDWI members gained value last week from 0.16% (Alibaba) to 8.36% (AbbVie). Seventeen RDWI members lost value the previous from -0.43% (Cisco) to…
This week in R&D: Vast Space unveils Haven 2 station plans; White House backs $32B AI R&D boost
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending October 25, 2024, closed at 3962.81 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -1.49% (or -60.14 basis points). Seven RDWI members gained value last week from 0.27% (Toyota) to 5.88% (General Motors). Eighteen RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.27%…
This week in R&D: AI tools continue to dominate with Google constructing nuclear reactors, NYT sending a “cease and desist” order, and Ericsson expanding its R&D base in India
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…
This week in R&D: Samsung lags in AI chip race, OSTP urges R&D overhaul, DOJ set to file antitrust suit against Google
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…
This week in R&D: ULA launches second rocket, Microsoft sets up AI in Italy, and India and U.S. form R&D partnerships
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…
This week in R&D: GM and Hyundai to partner on vehicle development, Moderna cuts $1.1B in R&D spending, and Fed interest rate decision
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%…
This week in R&D: AMD puts R&D centers in Taiwan cities, Northvolt relocates battery operations to its Sweden R&D center
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…
AMD raises earnings forecast to $4.5B, after continuously doubling revenue; NSC to feds: increase AI spending
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…
OpenAI unveils SearchGPT test version; Tesla’s humanoid robot to debut in 2025
OpenAI, San Francisco, announced last week that it is launching a test version of their long-awaited search engine. SearchGPT will cite news sources such as News Corp. (publisher of the Wall Street Journal) and the Atlantic magazine (published by the Emerson Collective/publisher is Laurene Jobs — Steve Jobs’s widow). OpenAI has also struck partnerships with…
Flying cars could take off in China, subsea power project aims to link Morocco to UK in this week’s R&D World roundup
While a massive underwater power cable promises to bring renewable energy from Morocco to the UK, high above the streets of Guangzhou, China, another futuristic vision is taking flight: flying cars. These ambitious projects underscore a global surge in research and development, as evidenced by the latest R&D World Index (RDWI). The R&D World Index…
Infineon Technologies to build an R&D center in Taiwan; Car makers are halting EV targets as sales wane in this week’s R&D Power Index
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…
Nvidia surges to $3 trillion; Apple’s AI Rollout Hits EU snag in this week’s R&D Power Index
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending June 21, 2024, closed at 3,785.63 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 0.38% (or 14.33 basis points). Eighteen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.44% (Alibaba) to 3.52% (Cisco). Seven RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.02% (Volkswagen…
World Forest maps tree fingerprints; Stellantis moves EV production out of China in this week’s R&D Power Index
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending June 14, 2024, closed at 3,771.30 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 1.72% (or 63.98 basis points). Nine RDWI members gained value last week from 0.37% (Novartis) to 9.70% (Oracle). Sixteen RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.35% (Cisco)…
China opens roads to self-driving cars; Taiwan insists on global talent for Nvidia expansion in this week’s R&D Power Index
The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending June 7, 2024, closed at 3,707.32 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 2.44% (or 88.31 basis points). Seventeen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.08% (Alibaba) to 7.45% (Oracle). Eight RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.10% (Sanofi…