Elon Musk is causing trouble again...

Today was a good start, but there are some flaws. From the closing results, the market opened sharply, with most people betting on the sectors they considered most likely to rise, but all of them cooled off… such as影视, robotics, computing power, etc. Instead, the concept of price increases gained momentum. [Taoguba]
At the same time, some high-flying stocks before the holiday were quite extreme—either hitting the limit up or limit down. For example, Zhangqu and Jingshi both hit the limit down. Overall, the market wasn’t as ideal as expected. The key issue is the lack of a main theme, no clear trend or hot spot, and further fermentation is needed.
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Tonight, there’s another big news story—about Elon Musk. Musk envisions launching electromagnetic catapult AI satellites from the Moon. I specifically checked this news; it seems to have emerged as early as February 14. He mentioned it at the XAI all-hands meeting, proposing to build an electromagnetic launcher that fires satellites into space like a machine gun.
So, what’s different compared to Earth? The Moon’s low gravity and lack of atmosphere mean launching costs are very low. In the future, computing power could directly absorb solar energy, surpassing Earth’s smart grid…
Musk’s speech at the time:
From a macro perspective, when you examine how much energy civilization actually uses, Earth is essentially using only about 1% of its potential energy.
Even if we use just one-millionth of the Sun’s energy, that would be about a million times the energy currently used by civilization.
The only way to access that energy—solar energy—is to go beyond Earth. In the vast darkness, Earth is just an insignificant speck of dust.
The Sun contains 99.8% of the mass in the solar system, so you must go beyond this tiny dust particle to make any significant progress in harnessing solar energy.
As I said, you need to expand about a million times to reach one-millionth of the Sun’s energy, then go beyond that, extending to the galaxy and even other galaxies someday.
So… the next step outside Earth’s data centers is our orbital data centers.
We will collaborate with SpaceX to launch 100 to 200 gigawatts of orbital data centers annually.
Not cumulatively, I mean every year.
Ultimately, we see a path to launch up to one terawatt of computing capacity from Earth each year.
But what if you want to surpass just one terawatt annually? You have to go to the Moon.
So, by building factories on the Moon to produce AI satellites and having a mass driver, this is the kind of thing you need to read about or understand in science fiction, but we will make it a reality.
We will actually have a mass driver on the Moon. If you do that, you can reach several orders of magnitude—perhaps 1,000 gigawatts per year or more, eventually reaching one-millionth, then one-thousandth, and even a few percent of the Sun’s energy.
It’s hard to imagine what kind of intelligence at that scale would be thinking about, but seeing it happen would be incredibly exciting. I really want to see the mass driver on the Moon shooting AI satellites into deep space, one after another.
I can’t imagine anything more grand than a mass driver on the Moon and a self-sustaining city there, then going beyond the Moon to Mars, traversing our solar system, and ultimately among the stars, visiting all these galaxies.
Maybe we’ll encounter aliens. Maybe we’ll witness civilizations that have lasted millions of years. We’ll find relics of ancient extraterrestrial civilizations. But the only way to do all this is to go out and explore. That’s the path to making it all happen. Thank you.
Let me translate this for everyone: humanity is currently like paddling a canoe (Earth civilization). Musk wants us to install a motor (orbital data center), then build a nuclear-powered carrier and establish a catapult base on the Moon (Moon mass driver), so we can eventually pilot this giant ship to conquer the stars and the sea.
As for good news? It benefits real estate, especially listed companies with land on the Moon, and somewhat touches on space photovoltaics.
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1. AMD agrees to sell Meta AI chips worth up to $60 billion. When this news broke, Meta’s stock price fell because investors saw increased capital expenditure, while AMD’s stock soared due to the large long-term order.
   I find these tech companies quite strange—AMD and Nvidia are both led by Chinese figures, and they are even related as cousins. It seems like a backup supplier to avoid being squeezed by Nvidia. Overall, real orders are a positive sign for the AI sector.
   However, there are conditions—such as capacity shortages or severe chip heating—that could lead to order cancellations at any time. The $60 billion is the maximum, not a guaranteed minimum.
   Nvidia’s stock pre-market also dipped slightly, just a small decline. This big order also benefits many industries—like TSMC manufacturing for AMD, packaging, and upstream materials.
   In short, AI investments continue—everyone stay calm. Big players are betting $60 billion, while ordinary folks see only $60,000 in their accounts and wonder if it’s a bubble.
2. Insider: The Trump administration plans to use the US Department of Defense AI project to set prices for key minerals within trade groups. Trump wants to use “military telescopes” (Defense AI) to regulate “market stalls” (mineral trade). The goal is to prevent others from controlling the rules, establishing their own in small circles, even if these rules defy economic logic, as long as they align with “America First” and “national security.” This is a move of “protective nationalism under the guise of security.”
3. Yunnan Energy Holdings: The company only holds a stake in Chuangtian Computing Power and will not consolidate its financial statements. It’s like saying, “You (Yunnan Energy) married a billionaire’s daughter (Chuangtian Computing Power), so you’ll be a billionaire too,” causing the stock price to soar.
   Now, they announce: “Stop spreading rumors; her money will be managed by her family from now on, not by us (no consolidation).” Is this a positive or negative signal?
4. Liu Qiangdong announces a 5 billion yuan investment in the yacht industry. I looked into it—he plans to build yachts costing 100,000 yuan. I might say this bluntly: rich people look down on it; the poor can’t afford it; the middle class might consider maintenance and docking costs, which could discourage them. It’s a bit like flying cars back then…
   The only difference is, flying cars require permits, while yachts are relatively freer. If maintenance and docking costs can be lowered, there might be a market.
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   Yesterday, after talking about Jiangxi’s spicy and scenic spots, my thoughts drifted further west to Bashu. Recently, I traveled through Chongqing and Sichuan. Though now divided, historically they share roots. Today, I want to discuss a seemingly contradictory topic: how did Sichuan’s “ease” culture originate during times of war?
   If you look into the Republican era, you’ll find Sichuan’s battlefield was quite different from others. Even during the fiercest warlord conflicts, there was a unique “gentleman’s warfare.”
   Sichuan warlords, after each battle, never pursued the defeated. Liu Xiang’s most capable subordinate, Liu Hangchen, once said that Sichuan warlord conflicts, after victory, always do three things: first, visit the defeated’s parents and settle them; second, send a telegram to the defeated, telling them not to run, as they no longer pursue them, and assure their family’s safety, saying things like “Uncle and elders, I serve your son”; third, enter the city to pacify the people and grant favors.
   Thus, during the Republican period, over 400 conflicts occurred in Sichuan, but the damage was minimal. Only external armies fought fiercely, and during such times, local forces would unite to expel outsiders. Because the fighting was relatively mild, Sichuan’s idle folks sometimes went to watch the battles—like watching football—cheering and making noise more passionately than the soldiers fighting.
   From the Beiyang era to the Nationalist government, Liu Xiang, once an inconspicuous figure, became the most powerful warlord in Sichuan. At Liu Xiang’s suggestion, Sichuan’s armies ceased fighting. Warlords divided their territories based on their strength, and the profits from Zigong salt wells, Sichuan’s biggest source of wealth, were shared among them. Even Liu Cunhou, the smallest force, was given a piece of the northern Sichuan poor land to settle.
   From then on, fighting stopped, and everyone kept to their own territory, living peacefully.
   Sichuan is also the birthplace of Taoism, and this cultural root is deeply ingrained. The “pao-ge” brotherhood culture, characterized by loyalty and righteousness, also stems from here. When resisting the Japanese invasion, many young soldiers, even with short guns, were mocked as “double-gun soldiers” (one rifle, one pistol).
   But once out of Sichuan to fight the Japanese, they displayed the most resilient spirit of Chinese soldiers: “No Sichuan, no army,” because Bashu’s instability makes the world hard to settle.
   Another interesting phenomenon: many warlord family members lived in Chengdu’s “Duzi Lane.” During the war, while the warlords fought fiercely on the front lines, their wives and concubines back home enjoyed opera, mahjong, and opium—living harmoniously.
   This somewhat resembles the noble battles of the Spring and Autumn period. Some might ask: is this “ease”—fighting desperately on the front, enjoying leisure behind—lacking backbone?
   Actually, this is Sichuan’s most insightful trait. In their view, power and warlord conflicts are fleeting; today you rise, tomorrow you fall. Only the cup of tea in hand, the cards on the table, and the bowl of rice at home are truly theirs.
   The scene of wives and concubines playing mahjong with “opponents”’ families may seem absurd, but it’s a form of wisdom: since the chaos of the world cannot be changed, better to keep inner peace. Even if tomorrow you go to the battlefield, today you shave your beard, drink tea comfortably, and face life with a smile: “Come on, let’s do it!”
   I’m about to go out drinking with my Sichuan neighbors. I wonder if this flattering article can help me exchange for a good bottle of wine, haha.
   Good night!