Huawei Built a European Palace for 35,000 Researchers, Then Spent $28 Billion on R&D in a Single Year
I walked into what looked like a European palace.
Marble floors. Crystal chandeliers. Gilded railings. Classical statues. Vaulted ceilings that belong in a ministry building in Vienna or Paris.
Then the giant screen lit up with the Huawei logo.
This is not a government building.
This is Huawei’s Shanghai research campus.
A self-contained research city with lakes, landscaped grounds, modern laboratory blocks, elevated walkways, and its own internal light-rail system. Designed for 35,000 researchers. Current density is already extreme: roughly 80% hold a master’s degree or higher. About 10% are PhDs. Throw a stone and you hit advanced technical talent.
In 2025, Huawei generated CNY 880.9 billion in revenue.
It spent CNY 192.3 billion on R&D, 21.8% of total revenue, roughly US$27.9 billion.
That single-year R&D outlay exceeds the entire GDP of multiple countries with larger populations.
Total employees: ~213,000.
R&D headcount: 114,000 (53.7% of the workforce).
Most companies and most nations still treat research as a residual. Huawei treats it as the core operating expense.
The result is not just beautiful architecture. It is sustained technological capacity under pressure.
This is the case study that matters.
Resource allocation at this intensity, sustained for more than a decade, produces outcomes that incremental budgets and short-term political cycles cannot match.
Have you visited a corporate campus that genuinely changed how you think about what’s possible?
Video produced and edited by Arianne, my beloved daughter 😍
Alvin Foo retweeted
The $637 BILLION bill behind Anthropic’s IPO:
1. Broadcom: $161.2 billion
2. SpaceX: $120.5 billion
3. Google: $114.5 billion
4. Amazon: $110.0 billion
5. Microsoft: $44.9 billion
6. Nscale: $44.6 billion
7. Lambda: $41.3 billion
At its Q2 pace of $11.6B revenue per quarter, it would take Anthropic roughly 14 YEARS to cover this bill.
4 years ago today… how time flies… twitter to X has completely game-changed freedom of speech.
Musk’s takeover fundamentally pivoted X from an ad-dependent social media platform to an “everything app”, emphasizing diversification, AI, and user monetization.
This should be made into a case study!
Alvin Foo retweeted
China's 2008 is happening now.
Property investment in China dropped -21% YoY in the first 9 months of 2026, its largest decline for this period of the year on record.
This marks a deterioration from a -20% YoY decline in the first 8 months of 2026.
The latest drop is also significantly worse than the -16% decline recorded during the 2020 pandemic.
Property investment in China has now contracted every month since 2022, its longest declining streak on record.
For perspective, during the 2008 Financial Crisis, this figure never fell below +1% YoY growth.
China's property sector is experiencing a historic downturn.
Alvin Foo retweeted
BREAKING: Microsoft, $MSFT, is offering buyouts to 60,000 workers as part of the company’s efforts to cut costs amid AI adoption, per Bloomberg.
Personnel on select teams in the US, Canada, India, and the UK at a vice president level and below will be eligible.
This reflects ~27% of Microsoft's total workforce.
Alvin Foo retweeted
Anthropic has officially revealed in its IPO filing today that the company expects to spend up to $120.5 billion on @SpaceX SI compute through 2029.
• Monthly payments up to $3.1B, or $37.2B annually.
• SpaceX is expected to deliver all contracted computing capacity by Dec 2026.
• Anthropic (and SpaceX) can terminate the agreements with 90 days' notice after the initial contract periods end in early 2027.
Here's the exact wording directly from the filing: "Between May and October 2026, we entered into and amended several agreements with SpaceXAI to access compute powered by Nvidia GPUs. Under the SpaceXAI arrangements, we agreed to spend an aggregate of up to $120.5 billion over terms extending into 2029, consisting of approximately $3.1 billion in the aggregate per month once all capacity has been delivered, which we expect in December 2026, with different fees during capacity ramping periods. Following initial non-cancelable periods ending in January 2027 and March 2027 under the respective agreements, each agreement may be cancelled by either party upon 90 days’ advance written notice."
Alvin Foo retweeted
SpaceX has 4 massive AI compute deals
• Anthropic → ~$1.25B/month
• Google → ~$920M/month
• Reflection AI → ~$150M/month
• Unnamed AI customer → ~$1.11B/month starting December 1
SpaceX also signed a separate $6.7 BILLION cloud services deal over six months, starting to ramp in October
That's around $4.55 BILLION per month across all five deals
Or nearly $55 BILLION in annualized compute revenue
Also SpaceX is planning to bring around 200,000 GB300 GPUs online every month
The company is also targeting a massive training cluster with 440,000 Vera Rubin computers by the end of Q2 2027
Elon Musk just confirmed that SpaceX has closed $40 BILLION in debt financing to fund GPU purchases
• The financing is primarily callable debt
• GPUs are expected to arrive in Q1 and Q2 2027
• SpaceX has investment-grade credit status
• Starlink and launch revenue help support its access to financing
SpaceX continues expanding its computing capacity
Elon Musk says debt markets just cut off funding for any AI company without real, non-AI revenue.
200+ neoclouds are heading for guppy-level death and consolidation. Most won’t make it.
SpaceX just closed $40B in GPU debt because it’s investment-grade with Starlink and launch revenue. The rest of the AI infrastructure boom is about to turn into a bloodbath.
Lee Kuan Yew’s formula for finding leaders was brutally practical: you either have “it” or you don’t. Corporate leadership can be trained; political leadership mostly can’t. He hunted for what he called helicopter quality, analytical brainpower, a firm grip on reality, imagination, dynamism, then ranked character and genuine motivation to serve the public above all of it. A very smart person with weak character does more damage than a mediocre one. The final filter was the ability to persuade and move people, not just issue orders.
Alvin Foo retweeted
Volvo’s iconic “Epic Split” commercial starring Jean-Claude Van Damme remains one of the most remarkable advertising stunts ever captured on camera. Before filming, the truck drivers reportedly spent eight days practicing the intricate maneuver, perfecting the timing and positioning of two Volvo trucks reversing in formation. When Van Damme finally arrived, he positioned himself between their side mirrors and performed his legendary split as the vehicles gradually separated. Remarkably, the breathtaking sequence was reportedly completed in a single take, transforming days of meticulous preparation into an unforgettable cinematic moment.
What makes the stunt even more extraordinary is the incredible coordination required to execute it. Both trucks had to reverse at precisely controlled speeds while maintaining perfect alignment, leaving almost no room for error. At the same time, Van Damme relied on his exceptional flexibility, balance, and composure to hold the split as the distance between the vehicles increased. Contrary to the popular myth, his legs weren’t physically keeping the trucks apart. The illusion of effortless stability came from the drivers’ precision, extensive rehearsals, and carefully engineered execution.
The advertisement quickly became a viral phenomenon, combining an astonishing physical performance with brilliantly simple filmmaking. Van Damme’s peaceful expression, the slowly separating trucks, and the dramatic soundtrack created a moment that seemed almost too incredible to be real. Beyond showcasing his legendary athleticism, the stunt highlighted Volvo’s advanced steering technology and the extraordinary skill of its drivers. Eight days of preparation, one unforgettable take, and a commercial that secured its place in advertising history.

























