Looking forward and looking back. In 2023 I’m focusing on the cause and effect of the great decoupling / Cold War 2.0 with technological advances in Energy, Augmented reality (AR), and Space technology.
The Provocateur Blog provides reflection and ruminations on technology and technology’s impact on society and how these innovations and discoveries relate to my fiction writing projects.
Special consideration will be given to technology’s unintended consequences, which can run the gamut of environmental, social, political (policy only – we’ll refrain from politics in this blog), economic, and beyond.
Before we start, first things first – What happened to those 2022 Predictions?
The Provocateur’s 2022 Prediction – A Summary
In 2022 I Kicked off the Provacature Blog with predictions covering three topical areas:
Energy (see blog)
Augmented Reality (see blog)
Space and Communications (see blog)
2022 Energy Prediction: 2022, the year of “Energy Realism”
The 2022 energy prediction included the following points on the subject:
First, we need to maintain and even increase investment in natural gas and gas pipelines and distribution infrastructure
Green Hydrogen is ideal for long-haul transportation, industrial equipment (tractors, construction, etc.), aircraft, and solar power energy storage
In 2022, proponents of green energy will start accepting nuclear power as a necessary part of the green energy ecosystem
Nuclear fusion has been “20 years away” for the last 40 years, and government research seems to make progress as slow as molasses.
So, What Happened with Energy in 2022?
I was half-right and half-wrong on energy, between the horribly misguided U.S. energy policy and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Energy scarcity (The Great 2022 Energy Crunch) forced some movement toward “Energy Realism,” but not nearly enough. Between printing money, spending like drunken sailors on shore leave, and creating a self-imposed energy crunch, the U.S. and the West experienced the worst inflation in 40 years and took the world along for the ride.
Meanwhile, we still have a myopic (in my opinion) view of battery-powered transportation (EVs, e-bikes, e-everything) despite a worldwide shortage of the raw materials for LiIon batteries: lithium, cobalt, and nickel to make those batteries. Even worse, less than 50% of those batteries will be recycled, and the battery byproducts are toxic. The U.S. sources less than 2% of the components of LiIon batteries ( see the graphics). So if you think fossil fuel shortages and supply issues are a problem, just wait till we are dependent on LiIon batteries (more on that later.)
I’ll stick with my position that Green Hydrogen is the only responsible replacement for fossil fuels for transportation (trucks, planes, heavy machinery, busses, railroad engines, airplanes, medium to long-distance car driving, and energy storage). Much of the world’s fossil fuel pipeline and distribution capital infrastructure can be reused to deliver green hydrogen. To that end, we have made some progress. Toyota announced the launch of the MIRAI 4 door sedan, which takes only 5 minutes to fill with liquid
hydrogen and has a range of over 400 Miles. Nicola Motors announced a long-haul heavy truck with 900-mile driving radius that takes only 20 minutes to fill. Finally, Airbus announced that it will launch a set of zero-emissions ( ZEROe) aircraft by 2035. In short, we made some progress on Green hydrogen in 2022.
It only took a war and the “Great 2022 Energy Crunch” to get the green movement to embrace nuclear power as a necessary part of the green energy ecosystem. Governments around the world have reversed course on using nuclear fission reactor energy. Mothballed reactors are being re-licensed, and currently, licensed reactors are receiving lifetime extensions. Over 60 new reactors are being approved and constructed worldwide, according to the World Nuclear Association.
The final energy surprise of 2022 was the announcement a major milestone for clean energy production with hydrogen fusion. On December 5th, the U.S. Energy Department National Ignition Facility conducted an experiment that astounded the world. For the first time in over 40 years of research, an experimental hydrogen fusion reactor produced more energy than it took to create the fusion reaction. There is a great deal more to do. The experimental reactor must move to a working engineering reactor, which must be refined into a functioning commercial (profitable) reactor. That being said, 2022 was a milestone year for humankind on the road to a hydrogen fusion future commercial- an incredible achievement!
2022 Augmented Reality: Disappointing Progress
I predicted that in “2022, we’ll be hearing a great deal about augmented and extended reality glass as the up-and-coming replacement for our smartphone and a segway into the METAVERSE.”
I also noted the following points for 2022:
So far, however, the form factor and price point are a non-starter for any consumer applications. Wearable AR needs to look and feel like a set of normal eyeglasses!
In the background, working in “skunkworks mode,” the world’s largest cell phone makers, Apple, Samsung, and Huawei AR glass projects, are coming to maturity.
I also predict several unintended consequences of AR adoption supplanting the smartphone.
First, the “always-on capture” of the environment inherent in AR will accelerate the budding dystopian Survalience State – everyone is a snitch!
My second prediction: AR image processing in the cloud will dominate 5G and follow on 6G cellular data traffic.
AR was a complete bust in 2022. The only major announcement came for META. Teaming with Microsoft, META reused Microsoft’s Hololens software and applications in a solution aimed at where the money is – business applications. This is a pivot from Meta’s flagging metaverse investment. As it turns out, after a few years of COVID lockdowns, people want real-world, not virtual-world experiences. The hope is that after $billions invested, mixed AR/VR for work and virtual meetings will produce a modicum profit and return on investment. I’m not holding my breath.
Looking at the current Hololens two headset still fails the “size, weight, and battery life issues” I identified last year as table stakes for success.
We’ll return to AR Later in our 2023 predictions ...
Space and Communications 2022: The Year of StarLink and the James Webb Space Telescope (JSWT)
Let’s look at my first prediction for 2022: “We will see the dawn of the first self-funded integrated commercial space operators, with Starlink leading the way.”
2022 Starlink ...
The Starlink LEO communications satellite network deployment has been nothing short of amazing! As of December 2022, Starlink consists of over 3,300 mass-produced small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which communicate with designated ground transceivers. In total, nearly 12,000 satellites are planned to be deployed.
In a breaking update, on December 1st, 2022 —The FCC issued a key authorization to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, granting approval to 7500, limiting the number of satellites in SpaceX’s second generation of the Starlink constellation, also known as Gen2. The initial request was for over 30,000 satellites.
Starlink is providing fiber-speed communications around the globe, connecting the unconnected. Even more important, Russia targeted much of Ukraine’s cellular and communications infrastructure at the onset of the Ukraine-Russia war. Starlink stepped in and provided over 10,000 satellite terminals to replace the lost infrastructure. Despite continued efforts by Russia to jam, hack, or otherwise interfere with the Starlink satellite communications system, the system is holding up just fine, providing primary communications links for the Ukrainian military and civilian authorities.
Starlink’s success led to a wave of commercial satellite innovation we will discuss in a future Provocateur Blog: The Rise of Commercial Intelligence Satellite Networks. My lecture on this subject from the February 7th, 2023, Small Satelite Conference is available HERE.
2022 The James Webb Telescope ...
My 2022 prediction was that we would see the first images from James Webb and peer back in time to when the first stars and galaxies formed in the universe.
What the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)has shown us so far in 2022 was amazing! Pictures speak more than words.
Like a giant time machine, the JWST peered back in time, gathering images at distances unseen by humankind, detecting images of the first galaxies formed after the Big Bang: an object designated as GLASS Z12. GLASS is an acronym for the Grism Lens-Amplified Survey from Space instrument aboard the JWTS. In July 2022, GLASS detected an object designated Z12. GLASS Z12 is one of the earliest and most distant galaxies ever discovered, dating back to 350 million years after the Big Bang, 13.6 billion years ago. GLASS Z12 lies ~ 33.2 billion light-years from earth based on estimates of the expansion of the Universe.
The JWST instruments can see far deeper into the infrared spectrum than the older Hubble Space Telescope providing stunning detail of even nearby objects. This new image of Neptune with its moons and rings is just one of many examples.
There are many more amazing examples you can find HERE at the JWST website.
2023 Predictions
Whether we like it or not, the world has entered the 2nd Cold War (Cold War 2.0). Tensions between the Western Democracies and Authoritarian powers (China, Russia, North Korea, & Iran) will impact trade, energy, technology, space (the new space race), military technology ( a new arms race), and numerous other areas. This new political polarization is creating a great decoupling of two economic spheres, forcing tough decisions about military and economic alliances for smaller nations caught between the “Western Democracies” and “Authoritarian Nations.” There is little room to be an “unaligned” nation in the 2020s.
It begs the question: Why is this happening, and how can we (the world’s citizens) avoid all of this turmoil? Why is this happening?
The answer is simple -we live in the “Age of bad Governance” – weak political leaders and polarization in the West Democracies and the rise and concentration of power in “strong men” in the Authoritarian Nations. In the future, historians will be highly critical in their opinions of worlds leaders and policies from 2018 to 2030 (Note: 2030 is a personal prediction looking at U.S. political cycles, roughly three U.S. 4 year presidential cycles)
What is driving the Age of Bad Governance? The Authoritarians have eclipsed, and their economic and military power is rapidly declining in the decade ahead. They aim to expand their sphere of influence NOW while their current military and economic power allows them to act. The West will not see an economic or military decline; their problem is ineffective policy and planning caused by polarization of the political views of their populations. The weak Western governance is emboldening the Autortarians to act - viewing our weakness as an opportunity.
If we are not careful over the next few years, we will stumble into World War 3.
So much for that sobering assessment. Let’s get back to technology and my predictions for 2023:
Polarization is accelerating “The Great Decoupling.”
The great decoupling/Cold War 2.0 impacts nearly every aspect of the world economy
The Provocatoure Blog will focus on space, energy, and economic impacts on technology development caused by the great decoupling.
Ukraine as an active military hotspot and the Taiwan Strait as a possible military hotspot are driving not only political and diplomatic policy, they are driving trade and technology
Supply Chain Security will drive business, and national policy – a knock-on effect of decoupling – supply chains move home or close to home
Energy/Raw Materials Security - Fusion, fission, Green Hydrogen, and traditional battery/Solar technology will remain in political and investment focus
Core Technology, especially the manufacturing of Semiconductors
General supply chain, especially green technology, especially solar, wind
The Free Internet is Over
Inflation and rise in interest rates change technology business models, Venture Capital (VC) funding, and technology investment in general.
Innovation continues despite hurdles in investment and the “cost of money.”
AR Augmented Reality (and AI/Artificial Intelligence associated with AR) will continue their evolution to replace smartphones – with a potentially reduced pace due to lower investment.
Space Technology/System: the golden age of commercial space innovation will continue despite economic hurdles.
While I don’t cover robotics and AI in my blog, I keenly follow the progress in those areas. In 2023 I’m focusing on the cause and effect of the great decoupling / Cold War 2.0 with Energy, Augmented reality (AR), and Space technology.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into the following areas:
Energy
The new economic reality - The Age of the Free Internet is Over
Semiconductor Supply Chain Security
Augmented Reality
Space - Rise of Commercial Intelligence Satellite Networks (and other topics)
2023 Energy
U.S. energy policy will continue to evolve as the two sides of our polarized democracy fight over an aggressive adoption of “green energy” vs a more rational and measured adoption. The U.S. has no choice but to supply more oils and gas to the rest of the world, especially Western Europe, to make up for the international embargo of Russian fossil fuel products. We have already matched Qutar in shipments of gas to Europe.
As part of the great decoupling, the U.S. needs to source Li-Ion batteries, solar panels, and wind turbine equipment domestically and from other allied nations closer to the U.S. homeland. That takes years, not months. As I keep hammering home, EVs and battery energy storage of solar energy are a partial solution:
Today only 2% of Li-Ion battery materials are sourced in the U.S. ( previous graphic)
Even worse, a persistent Li shortage (and other materials like graphite) in which recycling will not close the gap – prices of EVs will not fall. They will increase and be out of reach of the average American
An even bigger question is – where is the electrical generation capacity to charge all the new EVs? or do we just like rolling brownouts to power our EV cars?
I’m going to double down on clean hydrogen’s growth for vehicles requiring long-range and/or large loads (cars, trucks, busses, etc.) along with all aircraft, heavy equipment, and rail/ Li-Ion makes sense for shorter commuting EVs, e-bikes, etc. It will all come down to the end cost to the consumer, and that is the real cost, not a government-subsidized cost. Any successful full technology will have to be cost-effective and create a self-sustaining ecosystem.
All politics aside, the U.S. ( and our allies) are lucky. With a rational energy policy, the U.S .and Canada have enough reserves of oil, natural gas, lithium, and uranium, to build and power solar, gas-fired, and Nuclear fission energy generation until hydrogen fusion shows up. Until then, Congress has approved the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act, along with nearly $369B for solar energy manufacturing and credits in the 2022 Senate Inflation Reduction Act .
On a final note, Nuclear Fusion is Hot! It's a big bet and a longshot bet for Venture Capital, but as you can see. money is being put to work. Given all the turmoil in the world, we are bound to see some interesting moves in energy in 2023.
2023: The Age of the Free Internet is Over
Since the market crash of 2001 and later 2008, the U.S. and the world pursued a monetary policy of low-interest rates and moderate growth while keeping the money supply tight. The low cost of money reduced the risk of borrowing for companies and venture capital to form and fund new companies. Technology companies in particular, were able to go public funding debt and continued spending without a line of sight (or a viable plan) on how to become profitable and sustain operations. Then came COVID, out-of-control spending, which led to inflation, followed by high-interest rates to get inflation in check.
In a handful of months, 20 years of a stable low-cost-of-money business environment ended abruptly. I can tell you right now a vast majority of public, private, and VC-funded companies are in no position to continue operations based on eventually free money.
The first casualty was Crypto – A majority of which has been Nothing but a Ponzi scheme or, as I like to summarize:
CRYPTO: Nothing, backed by Nothing, has a value of Nothing
Think that is bad? It is worse – All those coins need to be mined – the money is no longer there to fund the energy used to mine crypto coins, let alone pay off the massive computer farm equipment used in mining. That, in turn, puts a big dent in sales of computer server equipment companies like Dell and HP and server semiconductor vendors Like Intel, AMD, and Nvidia.
As an example, lets look at Intel, purveyor of server chipsets used in cloud computing ( for everything including social media) and powering PCs used for work and productivity ( your smartphone is used for everything else). According to the Wall Street Journal and Intel’s latest quarterly report :
“Intel’s central processing units, or CPUs, are in most of the world’s PCs. Revenue in the division responsible for those sales fell 36% to $6.6 billion, worse than analysts expected. “PC shipments will be at the low end of its forecast range of 270 million to 295 million this year, the company said.”
A big reckoning is coming in the first half of 2023:
VC investment is falling by ~50% or more, and many startups will retrench or fold (just line 2001)
Online advertising is retrenching along with low-cost debt to fund operations and growth. Social Media, most Apps, music streaming, and streaming video will have no choice than figuring out how to charge customers a recurring and increasing fee while at the same time lowering the only cost control they have - firing their employees.
In the 2001 Dot-Com bubble, silicon valley alone lost over 200,000 jobs, and the total US estimated losses exceeded 2 million tech and tech support jobs. Let’s hope the 2023 bust will be more subdued.
I’ve been sick and tired of relentless internet advertising -are you? I’d be willing to pay for select social media and browsing that is curated, unbiased, and limits advertising to items I ask for when I ask for them. I’ll pay to avoid being blasted constantly with advertisements selected by some dodgy AI /algorithm.
Is it a bad thing if a major technology recession forces these changes? In my opinion, it is a good thing. As we move to AR (another topic later in this blog) – a parade of advertising in your line of site will not only be annoying, it will be downright dangerous.
I conclude – get ready to make some choices and open your wallet – we will finally have to pay for our internet - free internet is over!
2023: Semiconductor Supply Security
Continued Chinese threats against Taiwan threaten the world’s supply of semiconductors powering nearly every device we own. Given the unpredictable invasion of Ukraine, Western Governments faced the hard reality that China may not be bluffing, and an actual invasion could occur, and much like the solar energy supply chain, a majority of semiconductors are produced overseas.
While the U.S. leads the world in design, design software tools, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. We have outsourced semiconductor production and have less than 10% of semiconductor manufacturing and assembly. Much of this is centered in Taiwan.
Recognizing this giant supply chain imbalance, both the U.S. (August 2022) and Europe proceeded on a crash course to shore up semiconductor manufacturing ( Chip Fabs) regionally.
In the U.S.: The CHIPS and Science Act has earmarked nearly $60 Billion in incentives to build a new generation of Chip Fabs and assembly lines on U.S. soil
In the EU: The European Chips Act, like the U.S plan, has earmarked roughly $49 Billion to bolster semiconductor design and fabrication in the EU
In 2023 we’ll see major projects breaking the ground in theU.S. and the EU based on these incentives. The Provature Blog will follow up and see how we are doing.
2023: Augmented Reality (AR)
I’ll admit I’m obsessed with AR, and for a good reason. A few years ago, as CTO of Dell Computer, I kicked off a project based on Google Glass2 AR glasses to improve production efficiency and lower defects in Boeing 777 production. The Dell team curated Boeing 777 assembly manuals to properly fit the Google Glass screen and a set of eye blinks and vocal commands to turn assembly instruction pages, turn on the Glass2 camera, and call a supervisor to check work. By freeing both hands of the assembly worker and having a supervisor inspect work literally in the blink of an eye, improved efficiency and lowered defects by a combined 30%.
The second reason I’m obsessed with AR is that AR fuses AI and human interaction in a unified platform. Add the ability to sense and communicate with brain waves, another evolving technology; this combined platform will be nothing short of astounding. Why?
AI-assisted AR will enhance human capability - NOT replace it
So, what is holding us back from all this progress? Miniaturization and energy reduction of AR display technology remain the stumbling block to wider adoption and eventual replacement of the beloved smartphone. Still, 2023 holds the promise of further advances in AR.
First, Apple is rumored to make public its highly secretive AR platform at the Apple Developer Conference in June. Like Apple’s kickstart of the APP revolution over ten years ago at the Developers Conference, Apple is expected to announce a development platform and tools for AR for tet apple development community. An open AR software development backed by Apple’s commitment to AR glass platform hardware looks to be a game changer.
Second, despite the drastic reduction in VC funding rounds available in 2023, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in late December 2022 announced taking more than 50 percent stake in Magic Leap. Like Meta’s pivot to enterprise solutions for Hololense2, the Saudis are funding Magic Leap 2 pivot to the same enterprise market – It’s not a surprise; follow the money. For now, enterprise solutions for AR are the only viable market available.
This brings us to Vuzix. Vuzix has never left the enterprise/commercial market and will be tough competition for Hololense of Magic Leap to counter. The new Vuzix Blade glasses stand on the threshold of meeting the form factor of normal eyeglasses, so critical for wider consumer adoption.
In 2023, in a project to support the US Defense Department, Vuzix will make an enhanced version of the Blade, providing:
Ultra bright 24-bit color projected images in both eyes
Based on 1-micron micro-LED array projector (one of the highest density pixel arrays available)
Vuzix patented ultra-slim, binocular waveguide technology to transport images from the micro-LED array eyeglass lenses.
And all the other sensors expected in AR glasses, eye tracking, dual/binocular outward cameras, bone-conducting audio - “all the bells and whistles.”
If Vuzix can deliver, the company would be an attractive takeover target for any major consumer smartphone maker to leapfrog into AR technology race.
We’ll keep track of Apple, Vuzix, and all the other progress in AR technology in 2023 – It certainly looks more promising than 2022. Perhaps we'll hear some news from Samsung. Time will tell.
2023 Space - Rise of Commercial Intelligence Satellite Networks (and other topics)
2022 was nothing short of astounding with respect to commercial, scientific, and manned space projects. In 2023 will be just as exceptional. Here is what we can expect:
SpaceX Starlink LEO communications network will be fully deployed, and Startlink gen2 will begin deployment – anyone anywhere can get 100MPS internet (as long as you can pay for it!). Find out More Here
Starlink will face competition from OneWeb. Oneweb will complete its first-generation constellation and activate global coverage in 2023
NASA will continue a series of developments and launches in a race to a manned landing on moon in 2025, a permanent lunar base, then Mars. If any story is worth watching - this is it
JWST – James Webb Space Telescope will continue to provide starling images of our universe
I’ll be delivering a lecture on February 7th at the Small Satellite Conference at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. I’ll be discussing “The Rise of Commercial Intelligence Satellite Networks.”
On February 20th, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, The U.S., and our allies provided Ukraine with not only military assistance, they also provided Intelligence Assistance. However, security concerns limited Ukrainian access to the U.S.’s most Secret Satellite Intelligence Assets. Ukraine required alternate sources of real-time intelligence ASAP to cobble together a C4I system ( Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence) to beat back the Russians or face defeat.
Enter DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), the NRO (National Reconanace Office), Ukrainian ingenuity, and other systems and software platforms integrated into the world’s first commercial version of a military C4I system. This integration was done in months, not years, and consisted of the following elements:
Synthetical Aperture Radar (SAR) Satellites for all weather) strategic surveillance by ICEEYE, Capella Space, and other commercial LEO (Low Earth Orbit) systems
Imaging Satellites, including infrared imaging- strategic surveillance by Maxar, among other LEO imaging satellite systems
SpaceX StarLink satellite network for real-time communications
Local UAV (Unmanned Aviation Vehicle) imaging drones for tactical surveillance (w/”Delta” battlefield intel)
Homegrown Ukrainian “GIS Art for Artillery” command and control APP derived from, of all things, a local clone of a taxi/Uber APP ( seriously, that’s what the Ukranians did – crafty, eh?)
Ukrainian rebuild of NATO battlefield-awareness platform - the top-level C4I command and control
Finally, US and NATO Alliance precision weapons & Air Defense Systems – the weapons to win
This is a fascinating story. In February/March time frame, I’ll convert my lecture to a blog post. Until then, If you’d like to learn more about commercial SAR ( Synthetic Aperture Radar) and Imaging satellite technology, click here to access a short technology briefing video delivered at the Military Satellite conference in November 2022.
There is a downside to all of this. Commercial satellite systems operators place their real-time imagery and data gathering in the cloud in real-time and simply charge for access. This means any nation, company, or individual can have access to real-time intelligence – even terrorists.
One way or another, 2023 will be another banner year for Space Technology and Exploration.
In conclusion
They were the best of times. They were the worst of times …
Human progress is bewildering and vast. This short blog offers a small sample of the advances we can anticipate in 2023. Despite all the bad news you hear on social and traditional media, there's a lot for the human race to be hopeful about. In particular, the hard work, focus, training, and intelligence being applied to solve the world’s problems and extend the reach of human knowledge. There is much more positive than negative in the world. So … “keep your eye on the doughnut – not the hole.”
I’ll be posting more soon.
If you have questions or topics you’d like to see, just ask (contact me here)
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