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
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.
Alvin Foo retweeted
China’s drone control system has gone insanely next-level. 33,615 drones completed high-precision flight simultaneously, looking like they were building a parallel world in the sky.
This has also refreshed the Guinness World Record that China set before.
The old lady handed her bank card to a bank teller and said, “I would like to withdraw $10
The teller told her, “For withdrawals less than $100 please use the ATM.”
The old lady wanted to know why ...
The teller returned her bank card and irritably told her, “These are the rules. Please leave if there is no other matter. There is a line of customers behind you.”
The old lady remained silent for a few seconds, then handed the card back to the teller and said, “Please help me withdraw all the money I have.”
The teller was astonished when she checked the account balance. She nodded her head, leaned down and respectfully told her, you have $300,000 in your account and the bank doesn't have that much cash currently. Could you make an appointment and come again tomorrow?
The old lady then asked how much she could withdraw immediately. The teller told her any amount up to $3000…
"Well, please let me have $3000 now", she The teller then handed it very friendly and respectfully to her. The old lady put $10 in her purse and asked the teller to deposit $2990 back into her account.
The moral of this tale : Don't be difficult with old people, they spent a lifetime learning the skills
One day, a billionaire was saying goodbye to his longtime secretary as she retired. Wanting to thank her for years of loyalty, he decided to give her a few million dollars so she’d never have to worry about money again.
To his surprise, the secretary shook her head and said,
“Why would you do that? I already have a few billion of my own.”
Completely stunned, the billionaire replied,
“But… how? You’ve only ever made five or six thousand dollars a month. How could you possibly save that much?”
She smiled and said,
“All those years, I sat in on your meetings. When you were on the phone buying land or stocks, I quietly did the same, just on a smaller scale. I copied your moves. So when you made millions, I made hundreds of thousands. And when you made billions, I made millions.”
💡 Life lesson:
Who you surround yourself with matters. There are people who drain your energy… and people who lift you higher.
Bees always lead you to flowers.
Surround yourself with people who inspire growth, not negativity.
When you walk with smart people, you grow wiser.
When you walk with driven people, you start aiming higher.
When you walk with dreamers, you learn to dream bigger.
But if you spend your time with those who complain, who have no dreams, no goals, they’ll only pull you down.
👉 Choose your circle wisely.
👉 Build the kind of environment that fuels your growth.
👉 And be that positive force for the people around you.
Trust the Timing of Your Life
You will not miss out on what’s meant for you.
If it’s truly yours, it will find its way into your life, sometimes sooner, sometimes later, but always right on time.
In a world that moves fast and rewards instant results, it’s easy to feel anxious when things don’t unfold as planned. But growth often happens in the waiting. Opportunities, people, and outcomes meant for you have a way of aligning when you’re ready to receive them.
So instead of forcing what’s not ready or clinging to what’s not yours, focus on becoming the person who can handle what’s meant for you.
What’s meant for you won’t miss you and what misses you was never meant to stay.
“Words are energy, that’s why it’s called spelling.”
This quote (often attributed to Bruce Lee) is a powerful reminder that the language we use, especially about ourselves, shapes our reality.
Every time we say, “I’m not good enough,” “I always fail,” or even joke negatively about ourselves, we reinforce that belief in our subconscious.
Your mind doesn’t know the difference between a joke and a truth, it just listens, absorbs, and acts accordingly.
But when you start speaking to yourself with kindness, power, and belief, everything begins to shift.
You think differently.
You act differently.
You become different.
Change your words, and you change your world.
Because what you’re not changing, you’re also choosing.
In business and in life, we often chase quick wins, fast results, instant success, rapid growth.
But like cooking a perfect roast, true excellence takes time, patience, and consistency.
The best relationships, careers, brands, and leaders aren’t built overnight.
They’re slow-cooked through learning, discipline, and persistence.
So, if your journey feels slow right now, don’t lose heart.
You’re not failing, you’re just in the oven.
Stay the course. Keep refining. The masterpiece is on its way.
Sometimes, the best camera is a fake one, but the smiles it captures are 100% real.
Happiness isn’t about having the latest gadgets or the most expensive things. It’s about finding joy in the simplest moments, sharing laughter with friends, and appreciating what we have.
The best things in life don’t come with a price tag. They come from the heart. ❤️
One answer to what's driving GPU rental prices:
Token demand on OpenRouter is up ~27x since last November, from ~6T/week to ~165T/week
Open-weight models now handle ~72% of those tokens, up from ~28% last November
Charts of the Week: a16z.news/p/charts-of-the-we…
Zooming out, GPUs are still renting ahead of a standard 6-year depreciation schedule
Rental price vs. schedule:
- H200: +143%
- B200: +111%
- RTX PRO 6000: +73%
- H100: +54%
- A100: +9%
Most of the gap opened up after April, when token demand took off
Charts of the Week: a16z.news/p/charts-of-the-we…























