Bismarck Brief

AI 2026: TSMC Risks Being a Bottleneck on AI Progress

The world's most valuable chipmaker is a repository of unique industrial expertise. Its businesslike conservatism about AI however risks the company's…

May 27 • Samo Burja

11

TotalEnergies is the Energy Champion Europe Needs But No Longer Wants

France's energy giant is not just an oil and gas extractor but a vertically integrated refiner, transporter, and electricity provider. Despite multiple…

May 20 • Samo Burja

20

Foxconn is Buoyed By Nvidia

The world's largest electronics manufacturer has gotten a second wind from the boom in demand for AI hardware. Its core business model however remains…

May 13 • Samo Burja

13

Rheinmetall is Rearming Europe But Possibly For the Wrong War

The German defense conglomerate is a key manufacturer of armored vehicles. Higher defense spending will boost production, but it remains unclear if the…

May 6 • Samo Burja

19

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April 2026

Masayoshi Son’s Alliance With OpenAI

The charismatic SoftBank founder and CEO is one of the best fundraisers in the world. He has tied the fortunes of his enormous venture investment funds…

Apr 29 • Samo Burja

15

Israel’s Unit 8200 is an Early Adopter of AI in Warfare

Israel's elite signals intelligence unit mobilizes tech talent for national security and incubates successful startups. Its wartime use of AI showcases…

Apr 16 • Samo Burja

25

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The Pentagon Attempts to Crack China's Rare Earths Monopoly

Rare earth elements are key to modern industrial, consumer, and military technology. China's dominance in rare earths mining, refining, and…

Apr 8 • Samo Burja

19

Why Neoclouds Are Vital to AI Startups

Commodity compute is key to making new AI research breakthroughs. AI startups and Nvidia have allied with financial firms to prevent this commodity from…

Apr 1 • Samo Burja

12

March 2026

Meta Attempts to Build Frontier AI Models

The world's largest social media company has the funds to build vast data centers and hire world-class talent. Mark Zuckerberg's goals in artificial…

Mar 18 • Samo Burja

13

The Iran Energy Crisis

Iran has responded to U.S. and Israeli attacks by targeting the oil-rich Gulf states. A prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz threatens severe…

Mar 12 • Samo Burja

22

4

Starlink’s Economic and Military Potential

Elon Musk's SpaceX is now earning most of its revenues from its satellite internet constellation. This technology is the first new major commercial…

Mar 4 • Samo Burja

30

February 2026

AI 2026: Cohere is Canada’s Artificial Intelligence Champion

Founded by young pioneering AI researchers, the company today pursues enterprise software revenue rather than frontier capabilities.

Feb 25 • Samo Burja

19