EQ Saturday Sapience #97
Equity Intelligence 14th December 2024
Are Agritech apps with AI driving India’s Next Agricultural Revolution?; Drugs like Ozempic are more than just obesity treatments - they could be the biggest breakthrough in healthcare for heart disease, Alzheimer’s and addictions; Yusuff Ali completes his golden jubilee in the Middle East and his listed company has huge plans; and Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, joins this week’s episode of Open Source for an unfiltered conversation on Microsoft’s partnerships, infinite memory models, cost of scaling and the billion-dollar AI arms race.
- Indian farmers face challenges like water shortages, climate change, and disorganized supply chains. AI-powered agritech tools with government support utilize IoT sensors and weather data to provide farmers with customized advice. Expanding 4G and smartphone penetration enables wider access to AI chatbots and video resources for sharing agricultural knowledge. Data access is crucial for AI's success, with projects like Agri Stack aiming to create a national agricultural data registry... Read more
- Initially developed for obesity, Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 receptors mimic a hormone that regulates blood sugar and curbs appetite. With 3% of Americans already on these drugs and over 100 million affected by obesity alone, the potential market is even bigger. These drugs show potential in addressing cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s. The emerging paths include medical and lifestyle enhancements. This could reshape healthcare and how we live... Read more
- The Lulu IPO is the largest of the year in the UAE and the biggest private sector IPO of the decade, breaking records in retail participation for a UAE IPO - with a significant number of first-time investors. One of Lulu’s exciting ventures is its expansion into Jammu & Kashmir - A world-class Hypermarket is set to open at the Mall of Srinagar, covering 100,000 sq ft. Along with expanding its operations in India, they are on track to open 100 stores across GCC within three years... Read more
- In this discussion, Microsoft outlines the strategy behind its investment in OpenAI & Azure and the power of "scaling laws," where larger models and datasets drive exponential improvements. Nadella views AI as a market with space for multiple players to succeed across different layers of the stack. Microsoft is focused on disrupting traditional search with AI chatbots, leveraging assets like Windows and strategic partnerships to challenge competitors. The conversation also delves into its evolving implication of Open vs Closed AI and the critical need for safety and regulation... Watch more
- “The correctness of a decision can’t be judged from the outcome. Nevertheless, that’s how people assess it. A good decision is one that’s optimal at the time it’s made, when the future is by definition unknown. Thus, correct decisions are often unsuccessful, and vice versa.” —Howard Marks
