The Quantumrun team shares actionable trend insights about the rapid developments in humanoid robot production, the potential of electro-agriculture to address food security, Google’s pivot to AI coders, and the Mayan civilization discovered by lasers.
Future signals to watch
According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Google now generates over a quarter of its new code through AI, aiming to speed up innovation and shorten development times. The company has also restructured its teams to streamline operations and support faster deployment of new models like Gemini.
Belgium is building a large artificial island in the North Sea to add 3.5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy to its power grid by 2027, supplying clean electricity for over three million homes.
Japan plans to construct anautomated cargo transport route between Tokyo and Osaka, known as a "conveyor belt road," to address its truck driver shortage.
The US Space Force and Space Command is prioritizing offensive capabilities to counter space threats from China and Russia, marking a shift from traditional defensive postures as space becomes a contested domain.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed"impact printing," a sustainable, low-carbon construction method using local Earth-based materials like sand and clay, offering a more affordable alternative to 3D printing.
Researchers have discovered a new cyanobacteria strain from volcanic ocean vents off Sicily, which thrives in CO2-rich waters and shows promise for carbon sequestration and bioproduct applications.
China has announced measures to boost its declining birth rate, focusing on improving family planning, promoting a supportive culture around marriage and childbearing, and enhancing childcare resources.
Archaeologists have uncovered what appears to be a lost Mayan city, named Valeriana, in southern Mexico using LiDAR technology, revealing 6,479 structures over 47 square miles. The technique uses thousands of laser pulses from an aircraft to map landscapes, detecting subtle topographical variations invisible to the naked eye.
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The Quantumrun team is pausing production of this newsletter for the holidays. We’re looking forward to returning with our next edition in 2025!
🤖 The humanoid workforce revolution marches on
Artist: Quantumrun via DALL-E
Humanoid robots are stepping off the sci-fi screen and onto the assembly line, shaking up labor as we know it. From building cars to delivering care, these high-tech “co-workers” are poised to rewire manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics. Companies like Tesla and Nvidia are leading this transformation, with Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots already deployed in their factories and Nvidia's advanced simulation technology enabling robots to be trained before real-world deployment.
Goldman Sachs estimates that the cost of producing these robots has dropped from USD $250,000 to around USD $150,000 in recent years, and forecasts suggest that mass production will drive costs even lower, potentially down to USD $20,000 in the future.
As such, the rise of these machines are poised to disrupt human labor across multiple sectors, much like the early 20th-century automobile disrupted horse-powered transportation.
By integrating advanced sensors, powerful AI, and efficient actuators, these robots are set to become capable, affordable labor units that work far longer hours than humans without breaks. Initially, robots will perform simpler tasks at competitive hourly costs, but rapid advancements are expected to increase their capability, leading to a future where they can handle almost any task a human can. RethinkX characterizes this transition as a "disruption from below," where the humanoid robots start by handling lower-level tasks but rapidly ascend in skill and affordability.
Rather than simply replacing human jobs, humanoid robots will redefine labor itself, pushing towards a near-zero marginal cost of labor. The massive adoption of humanoid robots could enable a superabundant economy, where high-quality goods become cheaper and accessible globally, sparking unprecedented productivity.
However, this transition demands careful societal planning to mitigate a potential global unemployment crisis. Instead of protecting jobs, governments and businesses may need to prioritize people's long-term welfare and prepare for a world where the traditional concept of work may shift dramatically.
Actionable trend insights as the humanoid workforce becomes widely implemented:
For entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs can seize opportunities in the ergonomic adaptation of workplaces. For instance, many humanoid robots might initially lack the specific physical adaptability required for varied tasks. Therefore, custom add-ons, like modular grips, protective suits for handling sensitive materials, or precision-enhancing tools, could be developed to extend robot functionality across different industries.
They can establish consultancy firms that design workflows that maximize productivity in mixed human-robot teams. These consultancies could specialize in factory settings, healthcare facilities, and agricultural production lines, where robots could take on repetitive tasks while humans focus on supervision and quality control.
For corporate innovators
Logistics, healthcare, and manufacturing companies can preemptively address workforce changes by creating in-house training centers focusing on upskilling human workers to oversee and manage robot labor.
For instance, logistics companies could establish training programs where human workers learn to monitor robotic tasks in real time, handle robot maintenance, and troubleshoot on-site issues.
Construction, healthcare, and energy firms can innovate by launching dedicated business units to create products and services that work exclusively with robot workforces.
For example, a construction company could develop standardized building components that are easier for humanoid robots to assemble.
For public sector innovators
Governments can build or retrofit public infrastructure to be robot-compatible, particularly in hospitals, transportation hubs, and emergency services.
For example, municipalities could design sidewalks and building entrances that accommodate autonomous humanoid robots and create robot-friendly zones in places like airports, where automated assistants can aid travelers with directions or baggage handling.
They could implement a nationwide program designed to equip workers with the skills needed to collaborate effectively with humanoid robots. The initiative could focus on industries with high potential for robotic integration, such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and agriculture.
The aerospace and defense industry faced supply chain, talent, and production challenges but is experiencing growth, with commercial air travel demand fully recovering in 2024.
According to a16z, monthly active crypto addresses reached a record high of 220 million in September 2024, more than tripling since late 2023.
According to a survey on global art collection, spending in early 2024 appeared to be stabilizing, with 91% of high-net-worth individuals expressing optimism about the global art market's performance for the upcoming six months.
According to Deloitte, government leaders' optimism about generative AI has spurred rapid adoption, with 78% of organizations now implementing it, marking an 18-point rise since early 2024.
🫒 Electro-agriculture: The next food security move?
Artist: Quantumrun via DALL-E
Electro-agriculture, or "electro-ag," is like farming on electric steroids—using renewable energy and a dash of CO2 to grow plants without sunlight, delivering big wins in both efficiency and sustainability. According to researchers at the University of California, Riverside, electro-ag operates by converting CO2 into acetate through a two-step electrolysis process, bypassing traditional photosynthesis. This approach allows plants to grow on acetate, effectively producing food even in darkness.
Electro-ag is four times more efficient in converting solar energy to food than photosynthesis, offering a potential solution for food production in challenging environments, from urban centers to deserts. The process even holds potential for space farming, as demonstrated in NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge, where prototypes are being tested for long-term space missions.
One of the most compelling benefits of electro-ag is its potential to save land and water resources, addressing critical environmental issues. Electro-agriculture could reduce agricultural land use by 88%, which would free over a billion acres in the US alone, allowing these areas to revert to natural ecosystems that support biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
In addition to land savings, electro-ag’s closed-loop water system reduces water consumption by 95% compared to conventional farming methods, minimizing the impact on local water supplies. And, unlike traditional farming, which often loses around 60% of fertilizers to the environment, electro-ag systems utilize nutrients more efficiently, significantly lowering pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Electro-ag also has the potential to reduce food price volatility, a persistent problem in global agriculture. By growing food in controlled environments, electro-ag circumvents the adverse effects of weather and climate events that typically disrupt food production, from droughts to floods. This stable production could prevent price spikes and secure food availability even during extreme weather events, helping insulate economies from fluctuating food costs.
Actionable trend insights as electro-ag is adopted to grow produce:
For entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs could create compact, plug-and-play electro-agriculture systems designed for urban rooftops, abandoned warehouses, or even small plots in food deserts.
For example, they could develop a portable, modular electro-agriculture kit that includes all necessary components, like solar panels, CO2-to-acetate converters, and crop substrates, allowing communities with limited access to fresh produce to grow food year-round. Similarly, they can refurbish cargo containers to serve as micro-food grow-ops.
They could establish a training company offering hands-on courses and certifications for technicians and operators who wish to specialize in maintaining and operating electro-ag systems.
For example, this business could partner with community colleges or vocational training centers to provide intensive courses in electrochemistry basics, renewable energy systems, and crop management in controlled environments.
For corporate innovators
Food and agriculture companies could fund research into adapting electro-ag to grow calorie-dense crops like wheat and rice.
For example, a food production company could partner with agricultural research institutions to pilot electro-ag systems in drought-prone areas, providing stability in supply chains that are currently vulnerable to climate change.
Companies in heavy industries, such as manufacturing or energy, could invest in CO2 capture technologies that feed into electro-ag systems, effectively turning waste into food products while reducing emissions.
For instance, a steel manufacturer could install CO2 capture equipment that supplies acetate to nearby vertical farms, meeting both emissions targets and creating additional revenue streams through partnerships with local food suppliers or grocers who source from these vertical farms.
For public sector innovators
Governments could collaborate with private companies to set up large-scale electro-ag facilities in regions where traditional farming is challenged by extreme weather, such as desert regions or urban areas with limited farmland.
For example, a city facing food shortages could partner with tech companies to establish subsidized electro-ag facilities, allowing year-round food production and reducing reliance on long-distance food imports, while stimulating local economies.
Municipalities with abandoned warehouses or unused industrial buildings could offer financial incentives to companies willing to transform these spaces into electro-ag hubs.
For instance, a state government could offer tax breaks to companies that convert empty warehouses into indoor electro-farms, reducing food transportation costs and emissions associated with food distribution.
in the year 2059 I have a definite prediction, although it is not really a prediction because a YouTuber has sent transmissions back in time from the year 2059. I think 2042 will be when quantum computers take over and nothing is safe, some place gets bombed by some type of missile, and in that place the YouTuber andymation will move to Rhode island. 2047: massive event occurs. 2059: all humans are "non-organic" and they have weird glasses.
According to quantum mechanics, things can have properties that take on more than one value simultaneously - but when you measure that property, they instantly "choose" one of those values. This idea can also be applied to pairs of things, explained in more detail below. An object is said to be entangled with another when it has some property that takes on multiple values in a way that depends on the other object. The instantaneous "choosing" of one value (called "collapse") has interesting implications. It means that by measuring one of the entangled objects, you can cause the other object to instantly "choose" a particular value, wherever it is. In some sense, this could be called transmitting information faster than the speed of light. But, there is a (big) catch: we have no way of controlling which outcome the measured object will choose. In this sense, you could say that entanglement allows you to transmit random information faster than light. This is perhaps not useful.
Long answer: I will give an example of quantum entanglement. But first, some basic principles of quantum mechanics. An object is described by its quantum state. For the simple example of a photon, its state tells you where the photon is in space, its momentum, and its polarization. In describing the photon's state, however, you don't just give a number for each of those quantities, you essentially give a probability for getting a particular outcome if you were to measure them. (If you recall the uncertainty principle, this means that the narrower the probability distribution of position, the wider the probability distribution of momentum). For now, we'll ignore position and momentum, and just consider polarization.
Two possible states of a photon's polarization could be horizontal, denoted |H>, or vertical |V>. So the polarization state could generally be written as a certain probability of |H> and a certain probability of |V>, written a|H>+b|V>. (Technically, the probability of measuring |H> is |a|^2 and the probability of measuring |V> is |b|^2, where a and b may be complex and |a|^2+|b|^2 = 1)
The photon state, described by a|H>+b|V> should be understood to mean that the photon is simultaneously polarized both horizontally and vertically. This is an important point: In quantum mechanics, something can have parameters that take on two (or more) values at the same time (be in two places, have two energies, have two polarizations, etc.) Once you measure the system, then one of the options is instantly chosen, and then the parameter that you have measured has a well-defined value. (If this sounds weird, it is, and it is not known why this happens.)
OK, on to entanglement finally. Consider the state of a pair of photons. It turns out that it is possible to generate a pair of photons whose probabilities for |H> and |V> depend on the others probabilities. An example of such a state could be written a|H>|V>+b|V>|H>, where |a|^2 and |b|^2 are the probabilities of |H>|V> and |V>|H> respectively. Here, |H>|V> means the situation where photon 1 is |H> and photon 2 is |V>.
The state a|H>|V>+b|V>|H> means that the pair of photons is simultaneously in the situation with (photon 1 |H> and photon 2 |V>) and the situation with (photon 1 |V> and photon 2 |H>).
So what happens if you measure one of the photons? Say you measure the polarization of photon 1. You get either |H> or |V> as your result. You could get either, only the probabilities are given by |a|^2 and |b|^2. Say you measure |H>. Now the state of the pair of photons immediately collapses into |H>|V>. On the other hand, if you measure |V>, the state immediately becomes |V>|H>.
This is quite odd. As far as we know, this collapse of the state happens instantaneously, no matter how far apart the two photons are. But can it be used to transmit information?
The idea for a communication device would be to generate a pairs of entangled photons in the state (|H>|V>+|V>|H>) in your lab, send one of them through an optical fiber to Bob on the other side of the world, and send the other into an optical fiber of the same length inside your lab. When your photon comes out the other end of the fiber, you measure its polarization. The protocol is that a |H> photon is a 1 and a |V> photon is a 0. Let's say you measure the first 8 photons to come out and get 01101010. You know, that at that moment, on the other side of the world, Bob is measuring 10010101. You could say that you instantaneously sent the message "10010101" - the only problem is that you had no control over what the message was. It was totally random. This is a general problem with transmitting information using entanglement - the whole idea is based on this quantum indeterminacy. As far as we know there is no way around it.
in the year 2059 I have a definite prediction, although it is not really a prediction because a YouTuber has sent transmissions back in time from the year 2059. I think 2042 will be when quantum computers take over and nothing is safe, some place gets bombed by some type of missile, and in that place the YouTuber andymation will move to Rhode island. 2047: massive event occurs. 2059: all humans are "non-organic" and they have weird glasses.
According to quantum mechanics, things can have properties that take on more than one value simultaneously - but when you measure that property, they instantly "choose" one of those values. This idea can also be applied to pairs of things, explained in more detail below. An object is said to be entangled with another when it has some property that takes on multiple values in a way that depends on the other object. The instantaneous "choosing" of one value (called "collapse") has interesting implications. It means that by measuring one of the entangled objects, you can cause the other object to instantly "choose" a particular value, wherever it is. In some sense, this could be called transmitting information faster than the speed of light. But, there is a (big) catch: we have no way of controlling which outcome the measured object will choose. In this sense, you could say that entanglement allows you to transmit random information faster than light. This is perhaps not useful.
Long answer: I will give an example of quantum entanglement. But first, some basic principles of quantum mechanics. An object is described by its quantum state. For the simple example of a photon, its state tells you where the photon is in space, its momentum, and its polarization. In describing the photon's state, however, you don't just give a number for each of those quantities, you essentially give a probability for getting a particular outcome if you were to measure them. (If you recall the uncertainty principle, this means that the narrower the probability distribution of position, the wider the probability distribution of momentum). For now, we'll ignore position and momentum, and just consider polarization.
Two possible states of a photon's polarization could be horizontal, denoted |H>, or vertical |V>. So the polarization state could generally be written as a certain probability of |H> and a certain probability of |V>, written a|H>+b|V>. (Technically, the probability of measuring |H> is |a|^2 and the probability of measuring |V> is |b|^2, where a and b may be complex and |a|^2+|b|^2 = 1)
The photon state, described by a|H>+b|V> should be understood to mean that the photon is simultaneously polarized both horizontally and vertically. This is an important point: In quantum mechanics, something can have parameters that take on two (or more) values at the same time (be in two places, have two energies, have two polarizations, etc.) Once you measure the system, then one of the options is instantly chosen, and then the parameter that you have measured has a well-defined value. (If this sounds weird, it is, and it is not known why this happens.)
OK, on to entanglement finally. Consider the state of a pair of photons. It turns out that it is possible to generate a pair of photons whose probabilities for |H> and |V> depend on the others probabilities. An example of such a state could be written a|H>|V>+b|V>|H>, where |a|^2 and |b|^2 are the probabilities of |H>|V> and |V>|H> respectively. Here, |H>|V> means the situation where photon 1 is |H> and photon 2 is |V>.
The state a|H>|V>+b|V>|H> means that the pair of photons is simultaneously in the situation with (photon 1 |H> and photon 2 |V>) and the situation with (photon 1 |V> and photon 2 |H>).
So what happens if you measure one of the photons? Say you measure the polarization of photon 1. You get either |H> or |V> as your result. You could get either, only the probabilities are given by |a|^2 and |b|^2. Say you measure |H>. Now the state of the pair of photons immediately collapses into |H>|V>. On the other hand, if you measure |V>, the state immediately becomes |V>|H>.
This is quite odd. As far as we know, this collapse of the state happens instantaneously, no matter how far apart the two photons are. But can it be used to transmit information?
The idea for a communication device would be to generate a pairs of entangled photons in the state (|H>|V>+|V>|H>) in your lab, send one of them through an optical fiber to Bob on the other side of the world, and send the other into an optical fiber of the same length inside your lab. When your photon comes out the other end of the fiber, you measure its polarization. The protocol is that a |H> photon is a 1 and a |V> photon is a 0. Let's say you measure the first 8 photons to come out and get 01101010. You know, that at that moment, on the other side of the world, Bob is measuring 10010101. You could say that you instantaneously sent the message "10010101" - the only problem is that you had no control over what the message was. It was totally random. This is a general problem with transmitting information using entanglement - the whole idea is based on this quantum indeterminacy. As far as we know there is no way around it.