Blue Origin Challenges Starlink

Blue Origin Challenges Starlink 

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has announced plans to launch over 5,400 satellites for TeraWave, a new global communications network designed to move large amounts of data faster than rival services. While targeting data centers, businesses and governments rather than individual customers, TeraWave would still trail Elon Musk’s Starlink, which dominates the satellite internet market. Interestingly, the new network would also compete with Amazon’s [AMZN] Leo satellite venture, which operates around 180 satellites in orbit and plans for over 3,000.

Nadella Highlights AI Bubble Risks

Speaking at Davos on Tuesday, Microsoft [MSFT] CEO Satya Nadella emphasized the importance of wider artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. “For this not to be a bubble by definition, it requires that the benefits … are much more evenly spread,” he said. Data from Microsoft and other tech companies shows a global divide in AI adoption rates, with productivity benefits concentrated in richer developed countries. Nadella also emphasized that the future of AI adoption would be driven by multiple model providers, an approach Microsoft has historically followed.

Memory Chip Price Surge Threatens Consumer Electronics 

Global demand for smartphones, PCs and gaming consoles is expected to shrink this year as companies from Raspberry Pi [RPI:L] to HP [HPQ] raise prices to offset surging memory chip costs, Reuters reported on Thursday. The rapid AI infrastructure build-out has absorbed much of the world’s memory chip supply, pushing prices higher as manufacturers prioritize higher-margin data center components. Research firms IDC and Counterpoint now expect global smartphone sales to decline at least 2% this year, marking the first annual drop since 2023, while the PC market is projected to shrink at least 4.9% in 2026.

Voice AI Investment Opportunities Heat Up

Nitesh Sharan, the CFO of SoundHound AI [SOUN], in an interview with OPTO Sessions in July 2025, described a new dawn in voice-activated AI. This year is shaping up to be a big one for the field, with SoundHound and its peers launching key products during flagship tech show CES 2026 earlier this month. From new dictation models to voice-application integration, both startups and large tech firms are working to make voice a more accessible interface with technology. OPTO examines the broader sector’s prospects and what it could mean for investors seeking the next opportunity in AI.

Alibaba Plans IPO for AI Chipmaking Unit 

Alibaba [BABA] is preparing to list its chipmaking arm T-Head, according to Bloomberg, tapping strong investor interest in companies aspiring to compete with Nvidia [NVDA] in the AI accelerator business. The company plans to restructure the unit as a business partly owned by employees before exploring an IPO, though timing remains unclear. Founded in September 2018, T-Head develops chips for computing and storage and has become a strong domestic contender thanks to sustained investment from Alibaba. CEO Eddie Wu has pledged more than $53bn toward infrastructure and AI development, an outlay he says the company could surpass over time.

EU Carmakers Reject ‘Made in Europe’ Push

Carmakers have refused to back EU industry commissioner Stéphane Séjourné’s effort to prioritize ‘made in Europe’ products, highlighting divisions over how to counter affordable Chinese vehicles. According to the Financial Times, the proposed legislation would dictate minimum levels of domestic content for strategic products such as batteries and cars, with officials discussing a 70% local content threshold for vehicles. More than 1,000 CEOs and industry associations signed the initiative, but carmakers declined due to concerns about how the rules would be implemented given their globally spread manufacturing operations. 

Military Drone Stock Ondas Takes Flight

With military spending ballooning worldwide, a December 2025 Stifel report declared 2026 “the Year of the Drones”. Ondas [ONDS], which designs, manufactures and sells connectivity, drone and counter-drone solutions for government, energy, agricultural and industrial clients, saw its share price nearly quadruple to hover near all-time highs in early 2026 on the back of significant government and commercial contracts and a bullish financial outlook. OPTO examines whether this drone stock’s flight has just begun or if it’s prepped to crash and burn.