AI This Week: NVIDIA’s Record Revenue, Elon’s Data Centers in Space & Gemini 3’s Insane Performance w/ Salim Ismail, Dave Blundin & Alexander Wissner-Gross | EP #210
AI This Week: NVIDIA’s Record Revenue, Elon’s Data Centers in Space & Gemini 3’s Insane Performance w/ Salim Ismail, Dave Blundin & Alexander Wissner-Gross | EP #210
Podcast1 hr 41 min
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Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights

NVIDIA (NVDA) is viewed as the foundational infrastructure for the AI revolution, with significant growth still ahead as it moves from selling chips to entire AI server systems. As a key competitor, Google (GOOGL) is a strong investment due to its vertical integration, designing its own TPU chips and building massive new data centers. Microsoft (MSFT) is solidifying its dominant position by using its Azure cloud to secure multi-billion dollar AI partnerships with companies like Anthropic. The biggest bottleneck for AI's growth is the US power grid, creating a major investment opportunity in the Energy sector to fuel this expansion. Therefore, focus on the core AI power block (NVDA, MSFT, GOOGL) and the essential Energy infrastructure companies that enable their growth.

Detailed Analysis

NVIDIA (NVDA)

  • The company reported record revenues of $57 billion, a 62% year-over-year growth, driven by massive demand for AI compute.
  • The CEO, Jensen Huang, expects $65 billion in revenue next quarter, indicating continued rapid growth.
  • NVIDIA is described as the "central bank for AI," effectively minting its own currency, which is compute, that everyone in the AI space needs to buy.
  • The company is seen as only halfway through its journey of redesigning chips specifically for AI, suggesting there is still "another 2 to 10X performance gain" in their future. This allows them to continue increasing prices, which the market is willing to pay.
  • A potential strategic shift is underway, with NVIDIA possibly moving from selling just GPUs (chips) to selling full AI servers. This is compared to Apple's strategy of owning the entire hardware and software stack to create and capture more value.
  • NVIDIA is part of a new "AI power block" through a strategic partnership with Microsoft (MSFT) and Anthropic.

Takeaways

  • Bullish Sentiment: The sentiment is overwhelmingly bullish, viewing NVIDIA as the foundational infrastructure for the AI revolution.
  • Dominant Position: NVIDIA's current dominance is compared to that of a central bank, making it a critical supplier for the entire AI industry.
  • Growth Runway: Despite its massive size, the discussion suggests significant growth potential remains as they continue to innovate and improve their chip architecture for AI.
  • Potential Risks:
    • Competition: Challengers are emerging, including Google's TPUs, AMD, and various specialized chip makers (ASICs). Companies like Google have a vertically integrated advantage, designing chips specifically for their own AI models (like Gemini).
    • Bubble Concerns: The podcast addresses the question of an AI bubble. The consensus is that it's not a bubble as long as revenue generation from AI applications continues to scale. However, a market correction is considered possible.

AI & Cloud Computing (Investment Theme)

  • The build-out of AI infrastructure is described as the "fundamental infrastructure of humanity," a long-term trend that is just beginning.
  • The discussion highlights the formation of "power blocks" where major tech companies align to secure compute and advance their AI models. An example is the Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Anthropic partnership.
  • The speakers believe we are not in a bubble because company valuations and revenues are rising in parallel. However, a correction is possible as the industry matures and capital is deployed more strategically.
  • Major players are in a race for compute power. The current ranking for ownership of compute is:
    1. Google (GOOGL)
    2. OpenAI (backed by Microsoft)
    3. xAI (Elon Musk)

Takeaways

  • Invest in Infrastructure: The core insight is that the AI revolution requires a massive physical build-out of data centers and specialized hardware. Companies providing these foundational elements are well-positioned.
  • Vertical Integration is Key: The most powerful AI companies will be those that are vertically integrated, controlling everything from chip design and data centers to the AI models and applications.
  • Watch the "Power Blocks": Pay attention to strategic partnerships and investments between major tech companies, as these alliances will shape the competitive landscape. Microsoft's investment in Anthropic is seen as a hedge against its dependence on OpenAI.

Microsoft (MSFT)

  • Microsoft is a key player in the new "AI power block" by partnering with NVIDIA and investing up to $15 billion into Anthropic.
  • Anthropic has agreed to spend $30 billion on Microsoft's Azure cloud services, a massive win for Microsoft's cloud division.
  • This partnership is seen as a strategic move for Microsoft to diversify its AI bets beyond its heavy investment in OpenAI.
  • One speaker predicts a future merger between Microsoft and Anthropic, solidifying Microsoft's position in enterprise AI where Anthropic is strong.

Takeaways

  • Strategic AI Positioning: Microsoft is aggressively positioning itself to be a dominant force in AI, not just through OpenAI but by building a broader ecosystem of partners.
  • Cloud Growth Driver: AI is a massive catalyst for Microsoft's Azure cloud business. The multi-billion dollar deals for compute power flow directly to their bottom line.

Google (GOOGL)

  • Google is positioned as a primary challenger to NVIDIA's dominance through its custom-designed TPUs (Tensor Processing Units), which power its Gemini AI models.
  • The company is seen as having a key competitive advantage because it can vertically integrate, designing its chips to perfectly match the needs of its new AI algorithms.
  • Google is making a massive $40 billion investment in Texas to build new cloud and AI data centers, securing 6.2 gigawatts of new energy generation. This highlights the critical link between AI and energy infrastructure.
  • Texas is attractive due to its friendly regulatory environment and ability to build energy infrastructure quickly.

Takeaways

  • A Key Competitor: Don't count Google out of the AI race. Its ability to create its own chips (TPUs) gives it a powerful, long-term advantage and makes it less dependent on NVIDIA.
  • Investing in the Full Stack: Google's massive investment in Texas data centers shows its commitment to owning the entire AI infrastructure stack, from energy to chips to cloud services.

Space-Based Compute (Emerging Theme)

  • Elon Musk's xAI and SpaceX are pioneering the concept of putting massive data centers in orbit, powered by solar energy.
  • The plan is to install 100 gigawatts per year of solar-powered AI satellites. For context, the entire United States consumes about 460 gigawatts on average.
  • Key Advantages of Space:
    • Power: Energy is described as "free and abundant in space." Solar flux in orbit is roughly 6 times more dense than on the ground.
    • Cooling: While challenging, radiative cooling is feasible by pointing systems towards the cold, 3-Kelvin temperature of deep space.
  • The long-term vision includes mining the moon for silicon to manufacture data centers and launching them into orbit using electromagnetic "mass drivers," potentially scaling to 100 terawatts of energy per year.
  • Timeline: One speaker would be "shocked" if we don't see hundreds of gigawatts of AI compute in orbit within 10 years.

Takeaways

  • The Next Frontier for AI: This is a "moonshot" investment theme that could solve the primary bottleneck for AI on Earth: energy.
  • Enabling Technology: SpaceX's Starship is the key enabler. The success and launch frequency of Starship will determine the timeline for this vision.
  • Bottleneck Shift: This strategy aims to shift the bottleneck for AI growth from Earth's power grid to SpaceX's launch grid.

Energy Sector (Investment Theme)

  • AI is projected to become the biggest consumer of electricity in the US, surpassing all other industries combined.
  • The US is currently electricity-limited, not chip-limited or real-estate-limited, in its ability to expand AI.
  • A potential "massive gap" in energy supply is predicted between 2030 and 2035, as chip manufacturing accelerates faster than new energy sources (like fusion) can come online.
  • Next-Generation Nuclear: The development of safer nuclear technology, like pebble bed reactors, is highlighted. A company called X-Energy has begun construction on the first facility to produce the advanced fuel (TRISO) for these reactors, which cannot melt down.

Takeaways

  • Energy is the Bottleneck: The growth of AI is directly tied to the availability of massive amounts of electricity. Investments in energy generation and infrastructure are critical.
  • Opportunities in Advanced Energy: Look for opportunities in next-generation energy technologies that can provide clean, dense power. Advanced nuclear (fission), fusion, and large-scale solar are key areas.
  • Geographic Focus: States with friendly regulatory environments for energy production, like Texas, are attracting huge investments from tech giants like Google.

Robotics & Drones (Investment Theme)

  • The number of humanoid robot companies is exploding. This is a hardware-intensive sector that is rapidly advancing.
  • Key Technologies: The breakthrough is the use of vision, language, and action (VLA) models, which allow robots to be trained by demonstration rather than being explicitly coded. This dramatically speeds up development.
  • Data is the Moat: The company that deploys the most robots and collects the most real-world interaction data will have a massive competitive advantage, creating a "flywheel effect" where more data leads to better AI, which leads to more robot sales.
  • Zipline (Private): This drone delivery company is a prime example of autonomous logistics scaling successfully.
    • They are preparing to build 20,000 autonomous aircraft per year.
    • Deliveries are growing 15% week-over-week.
    • They are successfully partnering with major retailers like Walmart.

Takeaways

  • A "Gutenberg Moment": The convergence of advanced robotics and AI is seen as a transformative event that will change everything from logistics and manufacturing to home life.
  • Beyond Humanoid: While humanoid robots get a lot of attention, the theme extends to all autonomous form factors, including delivery drones (Zipline), quadruped robots (Boston Dynamics), and specialized industrial robots.
  • Focus on the "Picks and Shovels": Consider investing in companies that provide the enabling technologies for robotics, such as advanced sensors, vision systems, and the AI models that power them.
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Episode Description
Get access to metatrends 10+ years before anyone else - https://qr.diamandis.com/metatrends    Salim Ismail is the founder of OpenExO Dave Blundin is the founder & GP of Link Ventures Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross is a computer scientist and founder of Reified – My companies: Apply to Dave's and my new fund:https://qr.diamandis.com/linkventureslanding      Go to Blitzy to book a free demo and start building today: https://qr.diamandis.com/blitzy   Grab dinner with MOONSHOT listeners: https://moonshots.dnnr.io/ _ Connect with Peter: X Instagram Connect with Dave: X LinkedIn Connect with Salim: X Join Salim's Workshop to build your ExO  Connect with Alex Website LinkedIn X Email Listen to MOONSHOTS: Apple YouTube – *Recorded on November 21th, 2025 *The views expressed by me and all guests are personal opinions and do not constitute Financial, Medical, or Legal advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
About Moonshots with Peter Diamandis
Moonshots with Peter Diamandis

Moonshots with Peter Diamandis

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Tracking the future of technology and how it impacts humanity. Named by Fortune as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” Peter H. Diamandis, MD, is a founder, investor, advisor, and best-selling author. Join Peter on his mission to uplift humanity through technology. Follow Peter on X - https://x.com/PeterDiamandis