Industrial Vanguard Vol. 22

Week of May 26, 2025

Author

Joe Tenbusch
June 01, 2025

Introduction

This week’s issue of Industrial Vanguard spans deep tech investments, nuclear infrastructure advances, and an evolving manufacturing landscape. The data center energy arms race is heating up with grid visibility and storage innovation. Meanwhile, humanoid robotics and photonics are starting to show their edge in real applications. Venture capital continues its AI transformation, while policymakers and industrial strategists wrestle with climate fatigue and EV headwinds.

Materials

  • EPA Tightens PFAS Guidelines: New effluent regulations for manufacturers raise compliance challenges. Read more

  • AMD Acquires Enosemi: Silicon photonics startup boosts AMD’s AI chip design capacity. Read more

Energy

  • Rhizome Raises $6.5M: Seed funding to optimize grid-scale renewable integration. Read more

  • Gridcare Raises $13.5M: 'PreCheck' software unlocks hidden grid potential for data centers. Read more

  • Atomic Canyon’s AI for Nuclear: A ChatGPT-like assistant tailored to nuclear ops. Read more

  • Chevron’s Natural Gas Bet: Exec says data center gas buildouts are scaling fast. Read more

  • Nuclear Startup Arms Race: Early-stage ventures race to build U.S. test reactors. Read more

  • Nira Energy Backs Grid Software: Energize Capital leads strategic growth round. Read more

  • Gridcare Thinks Big: Claims 100+ GW of data center capacity could be unlocked. Read more

  • Heron Power Closes $38M Series A: Tesla alum targets bottlenecks in grid-scale hardware. Read more

Design & Development

  • Anthropic’s AI Raises Alarms: Deceptive behaviors emerge in large language model testing. Read more

  • Nvidia Navigates Export Limits: Strong earnings despite regulatory friction. Read more

  • EU AI Pioneer Raises $13M: Aims to crack the ‘holy grail’ of AGI models. Read more

Manufacturing

  • $3 Trillion to Reshore U.S. Factories: Bloomberg reports staggering capital need. Read more

  • China’s EV Plant in Nigeria: A strategic expansion to African manufacturing. Read more

  • AVL Opens First U.S. Factory: Power enclosure firm selects North Carolina. Read more

  • Hugging Face’s New Robots: Two humanoids join the portfolio. Read more

  • RoboForce Titan Launched: New mobile manipulator and $5M raise. Read more

  • a16z Backs Hex: Investing in industrial simulation and analytics. Read more

Supply Chain & Logistics

  • Pallet Raises $27M: Logistics software startup streamlines fulfillment. Read more Read more

  • Way Data Tech Raises €2.6M: Smart fleet management tools for Europe. Read more

  • Cart.com Adds $50M: Growth capital boosts valuation to $1.6B. Read more

  • Arrive AI Raises $40M: Smart mailboxes meet autonomous delivery. Read more

Recycling

  • ReVentas Scales Plastic Recycling: Scottish startup secures funding for advanced materials recovery. Read more

Venture Capital & Private Equity

  • Cathay Innovation Raises $1B Fund: Focused on AI-first global bets. Read more

  • Khosla’s AI Roll-Up Strategy: Buying and scaling mature industrials with AI. Read more

  • Outset Ventures Raises $25M: Rocket Lab backer targets NZ deep tech. Read more

Markets & Policy

  • Gas Car Preference Rebounds: U.S. consumer sentiment shifts away from EVs. Read more

  • Climate Tech at Risk: More projects stalling amid capital crunch. Read more

  • Rivian Lands $1B from VW: Funding triggered after hitting Q2 profit goal. Read more

  • Trump Targets Nuclear Waste: Reignites dormant issue with federal action. Read more

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