U.S.-CHINA TECH TENSIONS HEAT UP BEFORE ELECTION DAY —> China’s aggressive tech actions are sparking new scrutiny even as Washington focuses on the election countdown. Consider the developments in the last week:
—> TSMC HALTS CHIP SHIPMENTS TO CHINA FOLLOWING RED-FLAG HUAWEI ALERT. Reuters reports that Taiwan’s leading chipmaker, TSMC, stopped shipments to Chinese firm Sophgo after discovering that a chip it produced was found on Huawei’s new AI processor—a major red flag given U.S. restrictions on supplying advanced tech to Huawei.
—> DHS INVESTIGATE IF CHINESE HACKERS TARGETING TRUMP, VANCE PHONE DATA. Department of Homeland Security officials told the WSJ exclusively Sunday night they’re investigating the Chinese hackers behind the Salt Typhoon telecom hack into President Donald Trump and his running-mate J.D. Vance’s cell phone data.
—> MEET THE FUTURE’S DIGITAL TRADE WARS: Huawei isn’t just any tech giant. It’s a company with close ties to the Chinese government, which makes it a potential security risk to the U.S. and its allies. When TSMC chips show up in Huawei products, it signals a possible breach of export controls, intended to keep U.S. technology from advancing China’s AI and surveillance capabilities. As tech rivalries deepen, supply chain vigilance becomes essential for national security.
hello, future. it’s me, kev.
…and this is a dispatch from the digital frontier. Your one-stop shop for markets, tech, and the future. The day is 301. The year is 2024. The planet is Earth. My name is Kevin Cirilli —> LinkedIn.
Back to the future...
CHEW ON THIS —> AI Solves My Most Annoying Chore: Meal Planning for a Toddler, via WSJ.
NOTABLE: Billionaire investor Mark Cuban said Sunday that he is not eyeing a White House cabinet role even as he vigorously campaigns for Vice President Kamala Harris in the race against former President Donald Trump. Source: CNBC.
QUOTABLE: “I think Harris is a better choice for business. Tariffs and trade wars are terrible ideas for businesses, terrible for Silicon Valley. I think stability and trying to actually have institutions and the rule of law are more important than a 2% cut in a tax rate.” — LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
FLOATABLE: DeSantis' 2028 run for President may Have Just Kicked off, via Floridian Press… JD Vance cements status as MAGA heir apparent in 2028, via Columbus Dispatch.
TECH TITANS’ EARNINGS WEEK —> With slowing profit growth, the once-invincible tech giants—Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon—are facing a reality check as they prepare to report third-quarter earnings. Expected to post average growth of 19%, they’ll still outpace the broader S&P 500’s 4.3% gain, but it’s their slowest growth in six quarters. Some of the issues:
Microsoft facing questions about whether it can create a dominant A.I. product.
Apple isn’t garnering the buzz it wanted for the new A.I. iPhones.
Alphabet facing regulatory storms as DOJ investigates it for potential monopoly practices.
Source: Bloomberg.
BIDEN’S A.I. MEMO TAKES ON CHINA IN TECH RACE —> The Biden administration issued a sweeping National Security Memorandum on AI, setting policies to boost America’s leadership in artificial intelligence and secure technology against growing competition from China.
—> HISTORIC: FIRST-EVER NATIONAL SECURITY MEMO ON A.I. This high-stakes directive pushes federal agencies to use AI to advance national security, tighten AI chip supply chains, and counter espionage threats targeting U.S. tech.
—> MEET THE FUTURE OF U.S. DEFENDING FREEDOM ON THE DIGITAL FRONTIER… as U.S. officials maintain focus on countering Beijing, the memo urges America to outpace China’s AI expansion while upholding democratic values.
SOURCE MATERIAL: Memorandum on Advancing the United States’ Leadership in Artificial Intelligence.
— Ethan Garcia, mtf media fellow
HOLLYWOOD MEETS THE FUTURE —> Why Joseph Gordon-Levitt Is Worried About AI.
SPACE WATCH: INTELSAT SATELLITE EXPLODES, BOEING MULLS SPACE SALE, ASTRA REBOUNDS WITH $44M DOD DEAL
BY BRIG. GEN. (RET.) DAMON FELTMAN
Intelsat 33e Breaks Up at GEO, Creates Debris Field: Global SATCOM provider Intelsat reported on the 19th that its Intelsat-33e satellite in geostationary orbit had lost power, affecting users across eastern Europe & Africa, India, and western Pacific. Soon after, the Space Force reported a debris field in 33e’s location, indicating that the spacecraft had exploded. While the cause remains under review, several interest items have emerged. First, 33e had already suffered two separate propulsion anomalies earlier in its life, knocking 20% off its lifetime. Next, 33e and its predecessor, Intelsat-29e, were the first two of Intelsat’s line of EpicNG spacecraft, and both have failed on orbit. 29e’s failure was fuel leak attributed to either a micrometeor strike or electrostatic discharge in a wiring harness. Finally, the EpicNG spacecraft are based on Boeing’s 702MP design, adding to the woes of the aerospace giant. (Sources: Space News, CBS News, Spaceflight Now)
Is Boeing’s Space Portfolio Up for Sale?: Speaking of Boeing, The Wall Street Journal reported that Boeing may be considering selling the NASA-based portions of its space portfolio. This comes as new CEO Kelly Ortberg seeks to get the aerospace and defense giant back on track following several years of high-profile problems. Among these include ongoing troubles with its Starliner manned spacecraft which on its second test flight came back from the Space Station without its crew because of propulsion system concerns. Meanwhile, Boeing reported a $6B+ loss this quarter, with some $250M attributed to Starliner. While the article notes that sell-off discussions are preliminary and may not result in any deals, it’s worth highlighting that Boeing has been a key participant in NASA’s manned spaceflight missions since the Apollo program in the 1960s. (Sources: The Wall Street Journal, The Verge)
Astra Shows New Signs of Life, Wins $44M DoD Contract: Launch technology and services company Astra announced this week that it had won a contract with a $44M ceiling from DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit to advance production capabilities of their low-cost, tactically responsive launch system, labeled Rocket 4. This is noteworthy as Astra was one of several space companies that went public in the early 2020s via a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) and was valued at over $2B in 2021. And while it had two successful launches (and several failures), like many other space-SPAC companies Astra struggled mightily and was delisted from NASDAQ in July of this year. Following this, founders Chris Kemp and Adam London took the company private at $0.50/share, a 97% drop from the stock’s all-time high. More of Astra’s story can be found in Ashley Vance’s book, “When the Heavens Went on Sale,” and in the HBO documentary, “Wild Wild Space.” (Sources: Astra, Techcrunch)
-- Each week, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Feltman gives us a glimpse into our galaxy. Feltman was a career-long space operations officer, having commanded space units, led exercises and training at United States Space Command, and set budget and requirements priorities at Headquarters Space Force. Follow him on LinkedIn here.
FALLOUT: DELTA V. CROWDSTRIKE —> Delta says CrowdStrike’s software cost is $500 million and countless flight cancellations. More via CNBC:
Delta Air Lines on Friday filed a lawsuit against CrowdStrike in Georgia, accusing the security software vendor of breach of contract and negligence after an outage in July that brought down millions of computers and prompted 7,000 flight cancelations.
Other airlines recovered more quickly than Atlanta-based Delta, which said the incident reduced revenue by $380 million and brought $170 million in costs. The flawed software update affected computers running Microsoft’s Windows operating system.
CHINESE FLEETS THREATEN LOCAL FISHERIES IN SOUTH AMERICA: China’s massive overseas fishing fleet is depleting crucial marine resources, pushing ecosystems toward collapse and destabilizing global food supplies. With U.S. officials calling overfishing a top maritime-security threat, the Biden administration is now targeting Chinese-flagged vessels.
—> MEET THE FUTURE OF LOCAL BIZ-BATTLES WITH GLOBAL CONSEQUENCES as overfishing has become a flashpoint between Beijing and the U.S. With Chinese vessels flagged for illegal fishing, the U.S. Coast Guard has even boarded ships off South America’s coast—a stark sign of the mounting maritime tensions shaping tomorrow’s geopolitical landscape. (Source: WSJ.)
— Charles Roth-Douquet, mtf media fellow
with gratitude,
kev
ABOUT mtf.tv’s meet the future: mtf.tv’s meet the future is a cutting-edge platform focused on addressing key challenges at the intersection of national security, technology, and business. With a mission to embrace freedom to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities, mtf.tv offers forward-thinking media offerings and forums.
