Actinide Modernizes Manhattan Project Calutrons to Enrich HALEU
Actinide uses superconducting magnets to revive Manhattan Project Calutrons, producing domestic HALEU and shipping $30,000/gram medical isotopes.
WE'RE BACK: Meta Addiction, Jalapeño, Tim Cook's Last Day, Flocked
With John Coogan, Jordi Hays, Jordan Schneider, Eric Olszewski, Robert Mendelsohn, Billy Thalheimer, Aaron Cannon, Stephen Balaban · Sunday, September 6, 2026
John Coogan and Jordi Hays break down Meta's $18 billion teen addiction settlement, Tim Cook's departure as Apple CEO, and OpenAI's custom Jalapeño inference chip. They interview ChinaTalk's Jordan Schneider on Chinese tech constraints, Actinide co-founders on modernizing Manhattan Project Calutrons to enrich domestic HALEU nuclear fuel, Regent CEO Billy Thalheimer on their $240M Series B for electric seagliders, Outset CEO Aaron Cannon on customer digital twins, and Lambda CEO Stephen Balaban on the data center grid debate.
Key takeaways
- Actinide became the first startup to enrich uranium and produce High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) in the United States. Read more →
- Regent closed a $240 million Series B round on the back of a $10 billion commercial backlog and over $20 million in defense contracts. Read more →
- China manufactures $9,000 electric vehicles that match the feel of $35,000 Western cars, powered by aggressive subsidies and intense export pressure. Read more →
- Meta agreed to pay 48 state attorneys general $12.7 billion over 10 years, potentially rising to $18 billion if other platforms join. Read more →
- OpenAI partnered with Broadcom to design its first in-house ASIC, codenamed Jalapeño, engineered strictly for large language model inference. Read more →
- Modern AI data centers use closed-loop dry cooling systems that recycle water internally rather than consuming public municipal water reserves. Read more →
- Tim Cook stepped down as Apple CEO, handing leadership to John Ternus after steering the company through supply chain bottlenecks and political crosswinds for over a decade. Read more →
7 articles from this episode
Regent's $240M Play: Skip the FAA and Build for the Coast Guard
Regent CEO Billy Thalheimer explains their $240M round, $10B backlog, and how maritime rules beat FAA certification for seagliders.
Jordan Schneider: China AI Strategy and the 15:1 Compute Gap
Jordan Schneider explains China $9,000 EVs, DeepSeek research model, and why Western foundries hold a 15:1 chip lead.
Meta's $18B Settlement Is a 2.4% Tax, Not Big Tobacco
Meta settled with 48 states over teen addiction for $18B. Here is why the deal actually protects big tech incumbents from startup competition.
Inside OpenAI's Jalapeño Chip and 10GW Broadcom Deal
OpenAI is building Jalapeño, a custom inference chip with Broadcom, targeting 10 gigawatts of compute and beating Nvidia silicon.
Stephen Balaban: Why AI Data Centers Will Reshore US Industry
Lambda CEO Stephen Balaban on closed-loop data center cooling, $47M in local property taxes, and how AI power demand rebuilds the US grid.
Tim Cook Steps Down: Apple Bets on Local AI Hardware
Tim Cook leaves Apple as John Ternus takes over. Here is how Apple plans to win AI through local silicon instead of datacenters.
More TBPN episodes
- $1M Trading Cards Heist, Trevor Milton Returns, The Death Of Common Courtesy | Diet TBPNOct 25 · 1 articles
- Jay Leno on Comedy, Supercars, and the State of HollywoodOct 25 · 2 articles
- 50 Gigawatts To The Face, 17% GDP Growth Please, Road to COD 4, Bing Gordon JoinsOct 25 · 6 articles
- SELL EVERYTHING (Including Your Dollars), PPI God Candle, Lee Jae Myung Says "We Must Live"Oct 18 · 2 articles