Global Scans · Transhumanism · Weekly Summary

• [New] China is experimenting with vacuum tube maglev concepts that could push speeds beyond 600 km/h. Yahoo News
• [New] China is exploring vacuum tube maglev concepts that could exceed speeds of 600 km/h. Sustainability Times
• [New] Tech entrepreneurs - including Trump's former ally Elon Musk - have warned against targeting H-1B visas, saying that the US does not have enough homegrown talent to fill important tech sector job vacancies. Al Jazeera
• Three independent research teams supported by NEI found a gene, called complement factor H, that affects a person's risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over age 60. National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• A significant revision of the EU ETS is that the H2 - DR technology will receive free allocation which effectively subsidises production of H 2-DR-based steel in the time-period from year 2026 to 2033. Nature
• Adding secondary steel and H 2-DRI-EAF capacity are the most cost optimal investment routes over the period 2026-2035. Nature
• The global steel production system will change the coming years to 2035 as a consequence of the emergence of scrap-EAF and H 2-DRI-EAF as competitive low-emission options. Nature
• As the FTC trial and H-1B policy debates unfold, Amazon's ability to balance resilience with reinvention will define its relevance in an increasingly regulated and competitive tech landscape. Ainvest
• The shift to a wage-based H-1B lottery system could force Amazon to prioritize higher-cost labour, eroding marginsAmazon to Restart Green Cards for Foreign Workers in 2025. Ainvest
• Immigration-Driven Labour Costs: The H-1B surcharge could add $1 billion in annual expenses, forcing a reevaluation of staffing strategiesAmazon to Restart Green Cards for Foreign Workers in 2025. Ainvest
• The Intel Core Ultra 9285 H processor with its 16 cores means it will be able to handle any tasks you throw at it, and 3 2GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD provide lots of capacity for multitasking and dealing with heavier, creative workloads. The Guardian
• The Intel Core i7 - 13620 H will not bottleneck games, 1 6GB of DDR5 handles multitasking, and that 1 TB SSD means you will not immediately need upgrades. Of Zen and Computing
• OpenAI will deploy 6 GW of AMD semiconductors in a five-year agreement with an initial deployment of 1-GW worth of power in the form of AMD Instinct MI450 Series GPUs starting in 2 H 2026. Verdict
• China's next-generation H-20 bomber remains under development, with no confirmed public milestones, and delays could prolong a period of strategic vulnerability. Interesting Engineering

Last updated: 29 December 2025