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Editor’s Pick:
[News] Redwire to acquire Edge Autonomy for $925 million
Redwire Corporation (NYSE:RDW) on Monday said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Edge Autonomy for $925 million on a debt free, cash free basis and subject to customary working capital, cash and debt adjustments.
The merger consideration is expected to be paid using $150 million in cash and $775 million in shares of Redwire common stock at $15.07, said the company.
Immediately upon closing, the transaction is expected to be accretive to Redwire’s revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow.
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, Redwire, as a combined company, is forecasting full year, revenues of $535 million - $605 million and adjusted EBITDA of $70 million - $105 million with positive free cash flow, assuming the transaction had been consummated on January 1, 2025.
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 20, 2025
FAN 0.00%↑ TPIC 0.00%↑ #VWDRY
[News] President Trump temporarily halts leasing and permitting for wind energy projects
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to stop leasing U.S. lands for massive wind farms, including a freeze in permits for both onshore and offshore wind projects.
This withdrawal temporarily prevents consideration of any area in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for any new or renewed wind energy leasing for the generation of electricity or any other such use derived from the use of wind.
The withdrawal does not affect rights under existing leases, and is not expected to impact existing U.S. offshore wind projects.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 21, 2025
ORCL 0.00%↑ ARM 0.00%↑ MSFT 0.00%↑ NVDA 0.00%↑ #OpenAI #SFTBY
[News] Stargate Project receives official announcement from Trump, OpenAI
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appeared with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon to officially announce the Stargate Project, a $500B, four-year initiative to build out artificial intelligence infrastructure.
SoftBank (OTCPK:SFTBY) CEO Masayoshi Son and Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) co-founder and chairman Larry Ellison also joined the president in the announcement.
"We will begin deploying $100 billion immediately," according to an announcement by OpenAI on X.
Arm (NASDAQ:ARM), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) were also named as key partners in the project.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 21, 2025
[News] MP Materials launches U.S. production of rare earth magnets
MP Materials (NYSE:MP) +4% pre-market Wednesday after saying it has launched domestic production of a rare earth magnet it intends to mass produce for General Motors and other U.S. customers.
MP Materials (MP) said its facility in Fort Worth, Texas, has begun commercial production of NdPr metal and has launched trial production of automotive-grade, sintered NdFeB magnets, which it said "bring the U.S. closer to reestablishing a fully integrated, domestic supply chain for these critical components for the first time in decades."
The company said its NdFeB magnets - used in vehicles, drones, robotics, electronics, and aerospace and defense systems - would be among the first refined rare earth products made in America after the U.S. has relied almost entirely on foreign sources for the metal for decades.
MP Materials (MP) said its Fort Worth plant is poised to produce ~1,000 metric tons/year of finished NdFeB magnets, with a gradual production ramp beginning in late 2025.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 22, 2025
[News] Planet Labs selected for $200M Luno B IDIQ contract
Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) on Thursday said it was selected by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency as one of the vendors for the $200 million Luno B commercial data indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract.
Luno B will provide the national security community with timely access to high-quality commercial GEOINT, the company said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 23, 2025
[News] NextEra Energy rallies on new plans to expand gas, nuclear for AI boom
NextEra (NEE) announced a partnership with GE Vernova (GEV) to develop natural gas-fired power generation projects across the U.S. that will feed AI data centers and other large electricity users.
The companies plan to develop new power generation projects over the next four years that could use a combination of natural gas power plants and renewable sources such as solar and battery storage.
NextEra (NEE) also said it has asked U.S. regulators for a licensing change for the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa, a first step toward potentially restarting the facility.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 24, 2025
News, Facts, Analyst & Market Commentary - Short Reads:
Amazon suspends drone deliveries after two training crashes: report
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) has suspended commercial drone deliveries after two of its newest models crashed at a training facility during rainy weather, Bloomberg reported late Friday.
Bloomberg reported that Amazon said it was immediately pausing drone deliveries in Arizona and Texas to address issues with the aircrafts’ software.
In a previously unreported incident last month, two MK30 drones crashed at the airport Amazon uses for testing in Pendleton, Oregon, Bloomberg said, adding one caught fire on the ground.
The report said Amazon blamed the crashes on a software issue that was connected to light rain the drones were flying in.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 18, 2025
#TRUMP
Trump unveils meme coin as presidential inauguration looms
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday began selling a new cryptocurrency named $TRUMP. The meme coin, or a digital asset whose value is based on cultural posts on the internet, is available on the Solana blockchain.
It held a market value of more than $6.5 billion as of early Tuesday morning.
Critics of the coin said to beware its heavy insider ownership and potential for conflicts of interest, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 19, 2025
Netflix GAAP EPS of $4.27 beats by $0.07, revenue of $10.25B beats by $140M
The streaming pioneer added a record 18.91M net subscribers for the quarter -- 44% year-over-year growth, and more than doubling an expected gain of 9.18M.
It also touted new sign-ups due to recent key content moves, including a new season of its hit Squid Game and the arrival of big live sporting events, including the Mike Tyson/Jake Paul boxing match, WWE Raw and Christmas Day NFL games.
Netflix said this was the last time that it would report quarterly subscriber numbers as it focuses on sales and profits.
As the company continues to de-emphasize quarterly memberships and revenue forecasts, margins come increasingly into focus -- and its fourth-quarter operating margin came in at 22.2%, up sharply from a year-ago 16.9% (but still the lowest margin of 2024's four quarters; its Q3 margin was 29.6%).
Netflix forecast first-quarter operating margin of 28.2%, slightly higher than the 28.1% it logged in Q1 2024.
The company's increasingly important ad-supported service tier made up 55% of sign-ups in countries where it was available during the fourth quarter, and membership on the ads plan overall rose 30% from the prior quarter.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 21, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 21, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 21, 2025
HON 0.00%↑ IONQ 0.00%↑ QBTS 0.00%↑
Quantum stocks keep shining as Honeywell's Quantinuum announces new R&D center
Quantum computing stocks continued their heady gains to start 2025, as Honeywell's (NASDAQ:HON) Quantinuum unit announced a new research and development center in New Mexico.
The quantum software unit said that the proposed center will focus on photonics technologies, which Quantinuum said should help advance its trapped ion quantum computing technologies.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 21, 2025
#BTC #ETH #SOL
SEC forms crypto task force to draft framework for crypto regulations
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Acting Chairman Mark T. Uyeda created a crypto task force charged with developing a comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for crypto assets, the agency said on Tuesday.
"The Task Force’s focus will be to help the Commission draw clear regulatory lines, provide realistic paths to registration, craft sensible disclosure frameworks, and deploy enforcement resources judiciously," the SEC said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 21, 2025
#Flexential #Lonestar
[Newsletter Exclusive] Flexential teams with Lonestar on mission to build lunar data centers
Data-center company Flexential on Tuesday announced a collaboration with Lonestar Data Holdings, a closely held startup that’s building a network of backup data centers that orbit the moon, to support an upcoming launch.
Lonestar this year plans to send Freedom, the company’s second data center, to the moon with Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR), the space startup that last year landed a spacecraft on the lunar surface. A SpaceX (SPACE) Falcon 9 rocket will lift the entire payload into space.
The goal for Lonestar is to create solar-powered data centers that are wirelessly connected to Earth and save on cooling costs in the frozen void of space. They also aren’t vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, fire and flooding found on Earth.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 21, 2025
RKLB 0.00%↑ RDW 0.00%↑ PL 0.00%↑ LUNR 0.00%↑
[Newsletter Exclusive] Space stocks soar on upbeat sentiment, Trump sets sights on Mars
In his inauguration speech, Trump said the U.S. will pursue its "manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars."
Stock moves on Tuesday: Redwire Corp (NYSE:RDW) +51.4%, Mynaric (NASDAQ:MYNA) +48.1%, Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) +32.9%, Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) +30.3%, Momentus (NASDAQ:MNTS) +24.7%, Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) +23.9%, Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) +22.3%, Sidus Space (NASDAQ:SIDU) +22%, Telesat (NASDAQ:TSAT) +7.4%.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 22, 2025
ORCL 0.00%↑ ARM 0.00%↑ MSFT 0.00%↑ NVDA 0.00%↑ #OpenAI #SFTBY
Project Stargate likely be start of 'massive' AI investments in US: analysts
"Stargate is really focused on data center buildouts in the US (starting in Texas)....we ultimately believe another $1 trillion of US AI investments could be committed by the rest of the Big Tech world as momentum builds in Silicon Valley," Wedbush analysts said.
Project Stargate will see companies like Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), SoftBank (OTCPK:SFTBY), MGX and OpenAI commit an initial $100B to build data centers in the U.S., starting in Texas. The initiative could reach $500B over the next four years, the companies said.
Initially, 10 data centers will be built in Abilene, with plans to expand to 20 over time, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison said at the event.
Aside from the aforementioned quartet, Arm (ARM), Nvidia (NVDA) and Microsoft (MSFT) were also named as key partners in the project.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 22, 2025
CRM 0.00%↑ GOOG 0.00%↑ GOOGL 0.00%↑
[Newsletter Exclusive] Salesforce CEO says Q4 to see thousands of Agentforce deals; praises Google's Gemini
"I think obviously we have a big shoot-out going at the very top end of the frontier models between Google, OpenAI and Anthropic. Salesforce is obviously an investor in Anthropic, we obviously have relations with OpenAI and also Google. The Google technology, I think, is amazing," said Benioff. "I think Gemini is more than a player, it's probably ahead.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 22, 2025
QCOM 0.00%↑ GOOG 0.00%↑ GOOGL 0.00%↑ #SSNLF
Samsung Galaxy S25 series ushers in 'era of mobile AI'
Samsung's (OTCPK:SSNLF) new Galaxy S25 series promises to usher in an "era of mobile AI" through a partnership with Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL) Gemini and Qualcomm's (NASDAQ:QCOM) Snapdragon 3nm NPU.
The new Galaxies offer on-device artificial intelligence for privacy and faster results.
"It is our most personalized interface with an AI agent integrated at the system level," TM Roh, head of Samsung's mobile business said. "We have a shared vision for an open AI ecosystem. It utilizes an AI interface, regardless of what AI agent you decide to use. We are starting with Google Gemini 2.0."
The AI agent works across apps, providing a "personalized and holistic approach," said Ian Horrocks of the Oxford Department of Computer Science. "This level of integration is revolutionary."
The phones feature Gemini Live, which allows users to have "natural conversations" with an AI agent to provide insights into what the user is seeing on screen.
The phones feature the new Snapdragon platform, known as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform.
Qualcomm also noted that the Galaxy S25 series will also offer the Snapdragon Satellite feature. This will allow Galaxy owners to send and receive messages via satellite, natively supported in Android OS.2.
The new phones feature 50 megapixel cameras and HDR video for the first time on a Galaxy phone.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 22, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 22, 2025
NLR 0.00%↑ NUKZ 0.00%↑ URA 0.00%↑ URNM 0.00%↑ CCJ 0.00%↑
Nuclear stocks rally as South Carolina utility to reboot huge project to meet AI demand
Nuclear-related stocks finished mostly higher Wednesday after South Carolina power provider Santee Cooper said it is seeking proposals for buyers to restart construction of a pair of reactors at its V.C. Summer Nuclear Station.
The state-owned utility is betting interest will be strong, with tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft in need of clean energy to fuel data centers for artificial intelligence capabilities, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Santee Cooper likely will look to tap a consortium that could include a construction firm, a tech company that will use the power and an additional partner for capital, according to the WSJ report.
Construction of two nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer plant was halted in 2017 after Santee Cooper and the plant's then-co-owner, South Carolina Electric & Gas, already had spent ~$9B; Santee Cooper now owns 100% of the assets at the plant.
The company expects to recover some of the $9B that was previously spent, the report said, but completion of the reactors would still cost billions of dollars more over several years.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 22, 2025
HIMX 0.00%↑ TSM 0.00%↑ NVDA 0.00%↑ AMD 0.00%↑
[Newsletter Exclusive] Himax Technologies emerging as 'key' AI winner from Taiwan Semi: analyst
"Thanks to COUPE [Taiwan Semiconductor's silicon photonics initiative], Himax is poised for robust expansion over the next few years," TF International Securities' analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a post. "I estimate Himax revenue to reach approximately $1.16B, $1.42B, and $2.4B in 2026–2028, respectively (vs. the consensus of $1.11B for 2026), and EPS around $1.00, $1.60, and $3.40 (vs. the consensus of $0.80 for 2026)."
The first-generation of COUPE is already fully developed, and it is receiving the "highest priority" amongst Taiwan Semiconductor's developing technologies, Kuo explained. Mass production validation is already underway and second-gen mass production validation is expected to start in the first-half of 2026, Himax is poised to benefit, as it is the exclusive micro-lens array supplier for both generations, Kuo added.
And while comments from both Taiwan Semiconductor and Nvidia (NVDA) regarding silicon photonics timeline may appear contradictory — TSM believes silicon photonics mass production could come in about 1–1.5 years, while Nvidia thinks it may take several years — Nvidia's Rubin line of GPUs could use COUPE if mass production is on time, Kuo added.
Separately, AMD (AMD) is likely to be the first Taiwan Semiconductor client to adopt COUPE, continuing its "aggressive trend of using TSMC's advanced technologies," Kuo added.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 22, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] CRISPR Therapeutics stock pops following disclosure of RFK Jr. investment
An investment disclosure form provided by President Donald Trump's nominee to be the next HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., revealed he has investments in several stocks, including CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP).
The revelation caused the stock's share price to spike 10% at one point on Wednesday.
The disclosure states the value of his CRISPR holding is $1,001-$15,000.
In a letter, Kennedy, Jr., said he would divest from CRISPR, Apple, Amazon, Zscaler, Marathon Digital, and Progressive no later than 90 days after confirmation.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 22, 2025
MSFT 0.00%↑ #OpenAI #ChatGPT
[Newsletter Exclusive] OpenAI launches shopping agent Operator; Etsy, eBay tick higher
Microsoft-backed (NASDAQ:MSFT) OpenAI launched its first artificial intelligence agent today, Operator, which is designed to help users complete various shopping tasks.
Operator uses a web browser to accomplish tasks that users give it. It has an interface similar to ChatGPT. It collaborates with various companies such as DoorDash (DASH), Target (TGT), Stubhub, Open Table (BKNG), Etsy, etc. Basically, it can order from nearly any type of store with a website.
It goes live today in the United States for Pro users, and other countries soon.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 23, 2025
RKLB 0.00%↑ BKSY 0.00%↑ #FirelyAerospace
Rocket Lab provides support for Firefly Aerospace's moon mission
Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) is on its way to the moon as it provides support for the launch of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1. The company supplied high-efficiency photovoltaic assemblies for the lander, offering 400 W of power over 1,470 operational hours. Rocket Lab (RKLB) will assist Firefly during the mission's cruise and landing phases.
Meanwhile, BlackSky Technology (BKSY) has shipped its first Gen-3 satellite to Rocket Lab (RKLB) for a February launch from New Zealand. The Gen-3 constellation will provide high-resolution 35-centimeter imagery and AI-enabled analytics.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 23, 2025
SES AI enters contracts totaling up to $10M to develop AI-enhanced Li-Metal and Li-ion batteries for EVs
SES AI Corporation (NYSE:SES) announced a milestone for the commercial application of AI for Science for battery material discovery, with contracts totaling up to $10M.
The contracts are with two existing major global OEM partners to apply AI for Science to develop new electrolyte materials for Li-Metal and Li-ion batteries for automotive applications.
The contracts are expected to result in new revenue which will be partially recognized in Q4 2024, with the balance expected to be recognized through the first half of 2025.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 23, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Intuitive Machines awarded NASA contract to advance lunar logistics solutions
Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) said on Friday that NASA has awarded the company a study contract to advance lunar logistics handling and offloading, and surface cargo and mobility under the agency’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnership (NextSTEP) Appendix R.
The NextSTEP Appendix R study contract is intended to advance learning in managing everyday challenges in the lunar environment identified by NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture.
Intuitive Machines intends to use the approximately $2.5M award to focus on technologies related to the transportation of lunar payloads using the company’s heavy-cargo-class lunar lander, which is currently in development.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 24, 2025
#Bitcoin #Ethereum #Solana
[Newsletter Exclusive] SEC repeals SAB 121 accounting rule for crypto financial reporting
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has repealed Staff Accounting Bulletin ("SAB") No. 121, which required banks and other publicly-traded companies to account for customers' crypto assets on their balance sheets, deterring them from custody services.
Instead, the SEC's latest SAB 122 bulletin, announced on Jan. 23 in a notice, instructs firms to adhere to Financial Accounting Standards Board rules or International Accounting Standard provisions.
The controversial SAB 121 rule, which former SEC Chair Gary Gensler backed, led to increased capital reserve obligations as it required lenders to recognize client-held crypto on their balance sheets. While SAB 121 intended to safeguard investors, it ended up restricting their access to crypto through traditional banks.
The rescission is expected to "serve as a significant catalyst for institutional adoption," Bernchmark analyst Mark Palmer wrote in a note.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 24, 2025
Rivian takes its first steps toward autonomous driving with a hands-free driving feature
Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) CEO RJ Scaringe announced this week that the company will introduce a hands-free driver assistance system later this year.
The system is classified as a Level 2 autonomous driving feature, allowing drivers to remove their hands from the steering wheel while still requiring them to monitor the road. The technology will be similar to existing systems like Ford's (F) BlueCruise and General Motor's Super Cruise.
The hands-free system is part of Rivian's broader autonomous driving strategy, which includes their current Rivian Autonomy Platform. This platform already features 11 cameras, five radar sensors, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and a driver-facing camera. The new hands-free capability will be followed by a more advanced "eyes-off" Level 3 system that is planned for 2026.
While the announcement is significant, it is unclear what the compatibility of the system will be with existing vehicles. The feature may be limited to Gen 2 Rivian vehicles (2025 and newer), which come equipped with the enhanced Rivian Autonomy Platform.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 24, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Chile warns global lithium oversupply set to increase this year
Production cutbacks by lithium companies in response to low prices have tightened supply forecasts, but a global surplus is still expected for 2024 and 2025, Chile's government agency for mining studies said this week.
The global market is forecast to post a surplus of 89K tons of lithium in 2024 and 141K tons in 2025, before supply and demand become more balanced as soon as 2027, according to a new report from Cochilco.
The report noted that lithium prices in the September-November period were so low that they may have reached a floor.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Jan. 24, 2025
Disclosure: We own positions in some/all of the tickers mentioned in this article.
