Bismarck Brief

Iconiq Capital and the Evolution of the Family Office

Many of the world’s wealthiest and most famous people entrust their personal fortunes and the logistics of their daily lives to the management of one…

Sep 9 • Samo Burja

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AI 2026: China’s Memory Chip Champions

CXMT and YMTC are China's premier manufacturers of memory chips, which have become integral to developing and using frontier AI models. They are young…

Sep 2 • Samo Burja

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August 2026

Mercedes-Benz and the Future of Internal Combustion Engines

Germany’s most valuable auto maker retains its luxury reputation and hallowed tradition of knowledge in mechanical engineering, but lacks the ability to…

Aug 26 • Samo Burja

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The Last British Inventor

Dyson’s technologically innovative vacuum cleaners and hair stylers have made it a major luxury brand. It is a rare company driving forward consumer…

Aug 21 • Samo Burja

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The Rise of China’s Shipbuilding Industry

A majority of the world's ships by tonnage are now built in Chinese shipyards. This industrial dominance is allowing China to drive forward maritime…

Aug 12 • Samo Burja

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Enhanced Oil Recovery Aims to Greatly Expand the U.S. Oil Supply

Companies like Occidental Petroleum are pursuing new carbon dioxide-based methods to increase the oil recoverable from U.S. shale wells, potentially…

Aug 5 • Samo Burja

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July 2026

Unitree's Strategy to Make Humanoid Robots Work

The young Chinese robotics company has won profits and acclaim by driving cost reductions in humanoid and quadruped robots. Its ultimate ambition will…

Jul 15 • Samo Burja

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Great Leaps in Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Plausible

Semiconductor and AI progress drives advances in reading the electrical signals of the human brain and nervous system. This uncanny technology has not…

Jul 8 • Samo Burja

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June 2026

AI 2026: Gas Turbine Demand Pushes Data Centers to Become Power Plants

Heavy-duty gas turbines are among the most difficult to manufacture products in the world. Only a handful of mature firms control the supply chains with…

Jun 24 • Samo Burja

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AI 2026: Cerebras and the Potential Cambrian Explosion in Semiconductors

The U.S. company successfully designed the largest computer chip ever made. If AI demand continues to grow, it will not be the last company to design a…

Jun 3 • Samo Burja

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May 2026

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

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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

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