Industrial Vanguard Vol. 33

Introduction

Hardware-heavy AI is pulling the whole industrial stack forward. In materials, specialty chem and advanced anodes drew fresh capital as the U.S. tries to onshore critical inputs. Energy headlines centered on nuclear-for-data-centers (Aalo’s $100M, and BI’s deep dive), distributed/retail power plays (Schneider ↔ WattBuy), and sustained investor appetite as electricity demand soars. In design & development, America’s “build our own TSMC” debate is back alongside quantum and spreadsheet-killer skirmishes. Manufacturing shows steady robot orders, active M&A, and mega-rounds for autonomy “brains,” while supply chains consolidated around returns, invoices, and risk platforms. New VC funds target industrial innovation just as policy & markets mull Intel’s strategy, AI’s trillion-dollar productivity upside, and Big Tech’s talent wars.

Materials

• ChemFinity raises $7M to filter and recover critical minerals with membrane chemistry tuned for battery supply chains. Read more

• Group14 raises $463M (Series D) to scale silicon–carbon anodes for higher-energy EV and storage batteries. Read more

Energy

• Nuclear for AI data centers: BI profiles the trend toward colocating small reactors with compute campuses. Read more

• Aalo Atomics raises $100M (Series B) to build modular nuclear plants purpose-built for data centers. Read more

• OSW (AUS) secures $5.5M to expand global solar distribution. Read more

• Schneider Electric acquires WattBuy to broaden its prosumer energy/retail power portfolio. Read more

• CVector raises $1.5M (pre-seed) to optimize energy hardware/software interfaces. Read more

• Electricity boom → big deals: Blackstone steps up grid and services acquisitions as load forecasts climb. Read more

Design & Development

• Building an American TSMC: A data-packed deep dive on what it would take to localize leading-edge fabs. Read more

• The spreadsheet wars heat up with a new competitor targeting Excel’s dominance. Read more

• Qunova raises $10M (Series A) to advance quantum software/hardware integration. Read more

Manufacturing

• China’s whole-of-nation robotics push: Jamestown’s brief on “embodied intelligence” and industrial strategy. Read more

• Reshoring watch: 59% of U.S. shops reshored or are quoting reshored work in 2025. Read more

• Robot orders steady in H1’25 across North America, per A3. Read more

• a16z backs Sola (industrial AI/ops). Read more

• AIR acquires Owens Design to expand custom automation and capital equipment. Read more

• Rivian sets September groundbreakings for its $5B Georgia factory. Read more

• FieldAI raises $393M to build “brains” for robots across sectors. Read more

Supply Chain & Logistics

• Blue Yonder acquires Optoro to supercharge returns management. Read more

• FedEx names a new CDIO, signaling continued digitization and AI focus. Read more

• Overhaul raises $105M & buys FreightVerify to deepen risk + visibility. Read more

• Truckstop.com acquires Denim to bring AI into freight invoicing. Read more

• Serve Robotics buys Vayu to boost autonomy stacks for last-mile robotics. Read more

Recycling

• New carbon credits shift attention to electronics reuse/refurbishment and verified recycling pathways. Read more

Venture Capital & Private Equity

• BDC launches $200M Industrial Innovation Fund II targeting advanced manufacturing, climate, and supply-chain tech. Read more

• Cybernetix Ventures raising up to $100M for Fund II focused on robotics and autonomy. Read more

Markets, Policy, & News

• Intel “nationalization” critique: Why deeper state support may not fix long-run competitiveness. Read more

• Big Tech talent wars intensify as AI hiring reshapes comp and research culture. Read more

• AI fraud-detection startup raises $60M—compliance and risk are enduring AI beachheads. Read more

• AI’s trillion-dollar promise: Study pegs potential annual savings near $1T across U.S. firms. Read more

• Intel–SoftBank financing underscores the geopolitical sprint to scale American AI hardware. Read more

• GM’s new AI team taps Silicon Valley talent to modernize product and manufacturing pipelines. Read more

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We track the intersection of materials, energy, design, manufacturing, logistics, recycling, and capital so you can build—and invest in—the new industrial era.