Emergingby GlyphEmerging: frontier tech, tracked by the evidence
The brief · Mon Nov 9A quiet day; the week: DARPA demonstrated automated in-space assembly, marking a milestone for large-scale space systems. The U.S. Department of Energy allocated $8.5 million to the INFUSE program for fusion energy partnerships, while South Korea launched a 2.2 trillion won R&D push for fusion. IBM is positioning Chicago as a quantum computing hub with its new Quantum System Two. These developments signal increasing commercial and government investment in space infrastructure and fusion energy, requiring leaders to monitor these sectors for long-term integration opportunities.
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Momentum
1Advanced geothermal CommercialTapping the heat in deep hot rock almost anywhere, using oil and gas drilling methods, to make round-the-clock clean power.2,387 papers a year · +82% papers · 5 rounds792Space technology CommercialNew ways to reach, build in and use space: reusable rockets, factories in orbit, phone links from satellites, Moon landers and nuclear power.5,688 papers a year · +5% papers · 8 rounds793Fusion energy PrototypeMaking power by fusing light atoms like hydrogen isotopes, the process that fuels the sun, with no long-lived waste.2,054 papers a year · +61% papers · 6 rounds774Next-gen batteries PilotNew battery chemistries, like solid electrolytes, sodium or iron-air, that store more energy, cost less or last for days.8,880 papers a year · +64% papers · 6 rounds715Quantum computing CommercialComputers that use qubits, which can hold superpositions of 0 and 1, to solve some problems ordinary computers cannot.6,373 papers a year · +16% papers · 7 rounds676Advanced nuclear PilotNew fission reactor designs, smaller or using new coolants and fuels, meant to be cheaper, safer and faster to build.1,633 papers a year · -15% papers · 5 rounds637Advanced materials CommercialNew materials engineered at the atomic scale, like one-atom-thick sheets or sponge-like crystals, with properties ordinary materials lack.17,924 papers a year · +47% papers · 2 rounds578Humanoid robots CommercialRobots shaped like people, run by AI models that let one machine learn many physical tasks instead of one.5,161 papers a year · +39% papers · 11 rounds559Advanced semiconductors CommercialMaking chips with ever smaller transistors, new transistor shapes and power wiring, and stacking many chips into one package.6 rounds50106G wireless ResearchThe mobile network generation after 5G, designed to use AI in the radio, new spectrum and radios that can also sense their surroundings.4,205 papers a year · +73% papers43
Every technology, with its numbers →By stage
Early commercial
Advanced geothermalFervo's Cape Station in Utah became the first utility-scale enhanced geothermal plant to export power to the grid.2,387 papers a year · 5 roundsOpen the field →Quantum sensingDARPA contracted IonQ in August 2026 to manufacture and deliver 125 optical atomic clocks for US government use.5,592 papers a year · 3 roundsOpen the field →Brain-computer interfacesScience Corp. launched PRIMA commercially in Europe after a CE mark, the first BCI cleared there for form vision restoration.6,651 papers a year · 5 roundsOpen the field →Humanoid robotsAgility Robotics reported more than $300 million of multi-year contracted Digit orders when it announced its move to go public.5,161 papers a year · 11 roundsOpen the field →Space technologySpaceX's IPO prospectus reports over 570 Falcon 9 booster landings, while Starship, orbital factories and phone-to-satellite service are still ramping.5,688 papers a year · 8 roundsOpen the field →Advanced materialsParagraf says it mass produces graphene-based electronic devices using standard semiconductor processes.17,924 papers a year · 2 roundsOpen the field →Quantum computingVendors sell systems and cloud access, and Quantinuum closed a $1.68 billion IPO on Nasdaq in June 2026.6,373 papers a year · 7 roundsOpen the field →Synthetic biologyGenerate Biomedicines, whose drug candidates are engineered with generative AI, went public on Nasdaq in a $400M IPO while running Phase 3 trials.5,825 papers a year · 4 roundsOpen the field →Advanced semiconductorsIntel launched Core Ultra Series 3, the first compute platform built on Intel 18A with gate-all-around transistors and backside power.6 roundsOpen the field →AR glassesMeta sells Ray-Ban Display glasses with an EMG Neural Band wristband at retail for $799, on sale since September 30, 2025.3 roundsOpen the field →PhotonicsNVIDIA announced Spectrum-X and Quantum-X silicon photonics switches with co-packaged optics built with TSMC and optics suppliers.3,394 papers a year · 11 roundsOpen the field →NanotechnologyThe EU approved KOSTAIVE, a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine using Arcturus's LUNAR lipid-mediated delivery, in February 2025.6,053 papers a year · 2 roundsOpen the field →
Pilot
Advanced nuclearFour advanced test reactors reached criticality by July 4, 2026, and TerraPower began building Kemmerer Unit 1 under an NRC permit.1,633 papers a year · 5 roundsOpen the field →Next-gen batteriesStellantis began road testing a development vehicle with Factorial solid-state cells, the first such integration in North America.8,880 papers a year · 6 roundsOpen the field →Longevity biotechLife Biosciences dosed the first patient with ER-100, a partial epigenetic reprogramming therapy, in a Phase 1 trial.3,519 papers a year · 6 roundsOpen the field →
Latest events
Thursday, Nov 5
Korea to Launch 2.2 Trillion Won R&D Push Led by Fusion EnergySouth Korea’s Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) approved a 1.48 trillion won fusion energy R&D program running from 2027 to 2036. The initiative will advance fusion technologies and establish demonstration infrastructure to support commercialization. The post KoFusion energyFusion Industry AssociationIonQ filed an 8-K: completed an acquisition or disposition; sold unregistered sharesSEC Form 8-K, items 2.01, 3.02.Quantum computing, Quantum sensingSEC EDGARGermany and Japan Strengthen Fusion Energy CooperationGermany and Japan have reaffirmed their commitment to advancing fusion energy through cooperation following German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to Tokyo on October 28, 2026. During a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the two leaders issued a joint declaration on advanced techFusion energyFusion Industry AssociationU.S. Department of Energy Announces $8.5M for INFUSE Public-Private Partnership ProgramThe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science announced $8.5 million in fiscal year 2026 funding for 28 projects through the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program. The post U.S. Department of Energy Announces $8.5M for INFUSE Public-Private Partnership Program appeared first Fusion energyFusion Industry AssociationMidwestern City LightsCity lights from the Midwestern United States to the East Coast sparkle across the landscape a couple of hours before sunrise on Oct. 18, 2026. Major urban areas visible in the photograph include Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; and the New York metropolitan region. The International Space StatSpace technologyNASA news releases
Wednesday, Nov 4
NOM4D program demonstrates automated in-space assemblyCaltech-led demo is a milestone for constructing large-scale space systems.Space technologyDARPA newsNASA Navigation Experiment Shows Promise for Planetary LandingsNASA successfully demonstrated technology designed to help spacecraft autonomously navigate to safe landing sites on the Moon and on other planets. An Alta-X drone equipped with the agency’s Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) guidance, navigation, and control payloSpace technologyNASA news releasesNASA Announces Ka-Band Satellite Relay Awards for Space CommunicationsNASA selected three companies on Wednesday to perform work to develop Ka-band space relay capability concepts that are compatible with current missions in space, ensuring service continuity for existing spacecraft without requiring modifications to their onboard systems. Through this work, NASA willSpace technologyNASA news releasesNASA Shares Plans to Accelerate Artemis, Return to MoonIn an update on Oct. 23, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and other agency leaders shared the agency’s path to returning Americans to the lunar surface in 2028. Agency leadership provided updates on the previously announced acceleration plans for the Artemis program, advancing toward the agency’s ASpace technologyNASA news releases
Tuesday, Nov 3
DOE’s Office of Science Announces $8.5 Million for Innovative Fusion Energy Public-Private PartnershipsThe U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science announced $8.5 million in FY2026 funding selections for 28 projects through the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program, connecting 22 commercial enterprises with national laboratories and universities to accelerate commercial fusion enFusion energyFusion Industry AssociationNASA Astronaut, STEM Creator Connect with Students for STEM DayStudents across the country will have the opportunity to connect directly with the International Space Station during a live, interactive in-flight call with NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Mark Rober STEM content creator and founder of ClassCrunchLabs Foundation. The event, hosted by NASA’s Office ofSpace technologyNASA news releasesAstronaut and EarthCSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk is pictured during the Oct. 29, 2026, spacewalk. The International Space Station was soaring 267 miles above the South Atlantic Ocean at the time of this photograph. Kutryk and NASA astronaut Anil Menon installed a new roll-out solar array on the sSpace technologyNASA news releases
Monday, Nov 2
Powering up for a pivotal momentFrom a nuclear revival to qubits, the MIT Energy Initiative’s annual research conference tracked deployment of today’s technologies to discovery of tomorrow’s breakthroughs.Quantum computingMIT News: quantum computingWhat’s Up: November 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASAMeteor Showers, a Spacecraft Milestone, and a Supermoon Catch Taurid and Leonid meteors, spot Mars near Jupiter, celebrate Voyager 1’s light-day milestone, and watch November’s supermoon. Skywatching Highlights Transcript A month of meteor showers … a close pairing of Mars and Jupiter … and a supermSpace technologyNASA news releasesHappy 65 Years: NASA’s Johnson Space Center Then and NowSixty-five years ago, a bold vision took root in Houston: a NASA center dedicated to human spaceflight. Since its founding, NASA’s Johnson Space Center has helped lead the nation’s human spaceflight program, supporting missions from Project Mercury through Artemis. Today, Johnson serves as NASA’s CeSpace technologyNASA news releasesPodcast: The laser that could break the laws of physicsU.S. National Science Foundation-supported researcher Jonathan Zuegel discusses the future of high-powered laser research in the United States, the ambitious NSF Optical Parametric Amplifier Line (NSF OPAL) laser facility. NSF OPAL is designed to…PhotonicsNSF news
Friday, Oct 30
Reducing the drive-deficit problem in fusion simulationsResearchers at the National Ignition Facility developed an improved simulation model, addressing discrepancies between predicted and measured energy transfer in inertial confinement fusion experiments. The approach improves the accuracy of ignition predictions and supports optimization of experimentFusion energyFusion Industry AssociationNovember’s Night Sky Notes: Light-Day AwayTwin Travelers In 1977, NASA launched twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2, taking advantage of a once-every-175-year planetary alignment of the four largest planets in our solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Using six gravity assists between them, this Grand Tour gave us up-close views oSpace technologyNASA news releases
Thursday, Oct 29
Halloween Aboard the International Space StationAlthough no ghouls, goblins, or trick-or-treaters come knocking at the International Space Station’s front hatch, crew members aboard the orbiting laboratory still like to get in the Halloween spirit. Whether individually or as an entire crew, they dress up in sometimes spooky, sometimes scary, but Space technologyNASA news releasesCaltech Names Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman as NASA JPL DeputyThe emeritus NASA astronaut and retired Navy captain will be responsible for the strategic leadership, stewardship, and continuous improvement of laboratory operations.Space technologyNASA JPL news
Tuesday, Oct 27
Japan and Germany Partner to Advance Fusion Energy DevelopmentJapan and Germany are strengthening cooperation on fusion energy, with Kyoto Fusioneering partnering with Siemens Energy, Mitsui & Co., and Proxima Fusion to develop key technologies for fusion power generation. The collaborations aim to accelerate commercialization and support plans for a fusion poFusion energyFusion Industry AssociationFIA and J-Fusion Announce Partnership as Japan Accelerates Push to Commercial Fusion DeploymentToday in Tokyo, the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) and Japan Fusion Energy Council (J-Fusion) announced a partnership to strengthen global collaboration and advance the growing sector, as Japanese government accelerates efforts to establish a domestic fusion industry and achieve deployment by theFusion energyFusion Industry AssociationModular quantum computing takes shape with l-couplersIBM researchers achieve a critical advance for scaling quantum computers.Quantum computingIBM Research blogNew dwarf planet candidate discovered by NSF–DOE Rubin ObservatoryNSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has found a large object that scientists have identified as a possible dwarf planet. A preliminary data analysis shows that the object is orbiting in the outer reaches of the solar system beyond Pluto and may be one…Space technologyNSF news
Monday, Oct 26
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Nakanishi: ‘We will support efforts toward the commercialization of fusion energy.’Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yusuke Nakanishi reaffirmed government support for private-sector fusion commercialization during a meeting with FIA at the Prime Minister’s office, highlighting Japan’s goal of demonstrating fusion electricity generation in the 2030s. The post Deputy Chief CabFusion energyFusion Industry AssociationNASA SEES Interns Tackle Real-World Challenges in Lunar ExplorationThe NASA STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Internship Program at the University of Texas Center for Space Research places high school students on small, mission-focused research teams mentored by NASA, academic, and industry experts. During Space technologyNASA news releases
Friday, Oct 23
IBM supports award-winning projects in NEDO ChallengeTeams across all three tracks of Japan's national quantum competition used IBM quantum computers during research on real-world applications.Quantum computingIBM Research blogRS-25 Engine Tests at NASA StennisTeams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi tested RS-25 engine No. 10001 on Oct. 21, 2026. The hot fire test lasted for almost eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds), the same amount of time RS-25 engines fire during launch of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, with aSpace technologyNASA news releasesNASA’s Swift Mission Ends, Leaves Behind Scientific BonanzaNASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has ended its science mission now that the spacecraft is orbiting less than 171 miles (275 kilometers) above Earth’s surface. The greater atmospheric drag at this height prevents the satellite’s telescopes from steadily gazing at their astronomical targets. SwifSpace technologyNASA news releasesNASA’s Artemis III Mission to Test Future Moon Lander OperationsBefore astronauts return to the lunar surface, NASA will first conduct one of the most ambitious and complex test missions in the agency’s history. Launching in 2027, Artemis III will send NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca ParmiSpace technologyNASA news releasesNASA, Partners Accelerate Lander Development for 2028 Moon MissionsAs NASA returns humans to the lunar surface and establishes a long-term presence on our closest celestial neighbor, the agency and commercial human landing system providers Blue Origin and SpaceX have streamlined the designs and changed both concepts of operations for its future crewed landers. SincSpace technologyNASA news releasesEnergy Department Designates Helium as Critical Material to Strengthen American Manufacturing and Supply Chain SecurityDesignation reflects helium’s essential role in semiconductor manufacturing and advanced energy technologies.Advanced semiconductorsUS Department of Energy
Thursday, Oct 22
A superconducting ‘brain’ chip races to keep up with fusion’s unruly plasmaOn Monday, Brookhaven National Laboratory debuted a superconducting chip designed to help monitor fusion plasma in real time. The lab developed it with other U.S. Department of Energy facilities and the AI hardware start-up Great Sky. The post A superconducting ‘brain’ chip races to keep up with fusAdvanced materialsFusion Industry AssociationUS to award $389 million in R&D funds for fusion power machines, critical materialsThe U.S. Department of Commerce announced letters of intent for $389 million in research and development funding for four companies. The proposed fusion awards include $175 million for Helion Energy and $85 million for Commonwealth Fusion Systems. The funding aims to advance domestic semiconductor iFusion energy, Advanced semiconductorsFusion Industry AssociationFELEX Publishes Discussion Paper on Public Engagement and Social Acceptance of FusionOn October 20, the International Group of Legal Experts on Fusion Energy (FELEX) published a discussion paper, Public Engagement and Social Acceptability of Fusion, examining the role of public engagement in supporting the development and deployment of fusion energy. The post FELEX Publishes DiscussFusion energyFusion Industry AssociationMSSA joins 3GPP as a Market Representation PartnerThe Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA) is the newest Market Representation Partner (MRP) of 3GPP, a decision approved during the project’s Organizational Partner meeting (OP#56) on October 22, 2026.Space technology3GPP newsMoon crane to take a load off lunar landersImage: Lunar crane model during testingSpace technologyESA space engineering and technologyHelp a lost lunar rover find its way in new ESA competitionA small rover is alone on the Moon, with no signal and no idea of its position. All it has is a panoramic camera and an aerial map of the Moon’s surface. The lunar night is fast approaching… can you help the rover find its way before it’s too late?Space technologyESA space engineering and technologyPedal to the Metal: NASA’s Psyche Heads Toward Asteroid BeltThe spacecraft will use its solar electric propulsion system for 90% of its cruise until it reaches the asteroid Psyche by the summer of 2029.Space technologyNASA JPL news
Wednesday, Oct 21
NASA’s CASALS Instrument Bridges Gaps in 3D Maps of Earth’s SurfaceFrom orbit, today’s space-based laser instruments measure Earth’s forests and terrain one narrow line at a time. Between those lines are enormous gaps that include millions of acres of land scientists never directly measure. NASA’s CASALS instrument will blend machine learning with an ultra-compact Photonics, Space technologyNASA news releasesScience on the Space Station with NASA Astronaut Jessica WatkinsNASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Jessica Watkins works inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox on Oct. 9, 2026, safely mixing living cell samples with a bioink and then filling a special cartridge with the cell‑ink mixture. The advanced research operations were partSpace technologyNASA news releasesNASA JPL Looks to Next 90 Years of Innovation, ExplorationInterstellar probes. Lunar drones. Helicopters on Mars. When a group of Caltech graduate students and enthusiasts began conducting rocket-propulsion tests in Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco on Oct. 31, 1936, they had no idea that their work marked the inception of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Ninety years Space technologyNASA news releasesNASA Conducts RS-25 Engine Test in Support of Future Artemis MissionsNASA tested RS-25 engine No. 10001 on Oct. 21 on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Test teams fired the developmental engine for almost eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds), the same amount of time RS-25 engines fire during launch of NASA’s SSpace technologyNASA news releases
Tuesday, Oct 20
Podcast: Can America's most powerful laser unlock the universe?U.S. National Science Foundation-supported researcher Louise Willingale discusses the most powerful laser in the United States, the NSF Zettawatt Equivalent Ultrashort Pulse Laser System, how it's being used to advance science, and how it will become…PhotonicsNSF newsNASA Provides Progress Update on Moon Base RoversAs NASA works to build the Moon Base, crewed and robotic lunar rovers will play a crucial role during early development through technology demonstrations, astronaut transport, terrain mapping, scientific investigations, and resource prospecting. Data from these early missions will inform future mobiSpace technologyNASA news releasesNASA’s SR-1 Freedom Advances with Progress on Nuclear Power ModuleDestined for Mars and beyond, NASA’s Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom will be humanity’s first fission-powered spacecraft to travel outside Earth’s orbit. Announced during NASA’s “Ignition” event, this mission will demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion in deep space, and progress is underway on its Space technology, Advanced nuclearNASA news releases
Friday, Oct 16
I Am Artemis: Allison MjoenAs the supercooled propellant flowed into the core stage, and NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket roared to life, Allison Mjoen and her family watched with awe and pride. Mjoen, NASA’s operations manager for the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, helped shape the systems and ground opeSpace technologyNASA news releasesArtemis II Heat Shield After SplashdownShortly after NASA’s Artemis II mission splashed down on April 10, 2026, U.S. Navy divers captured underwater imagery of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. In the months after, the agency measured whether the thermal protection system effectively safeguarded the crew and Orion systems as the spacecSpace technologyNASA news releases
Thursday, Oct 15
West in fusion race with China says UK atomic energy bodyUK Atomic Energy Authority CEO Dennis Whyte highlighted growing competition between China and Western nations to commercialize fusion energy, citing China's rapid development of fusion technology and supply chains. He emphasized advances in superconducting magnets, AI, and research as key to accelerFusion energy, Advanced materialsFusion Industry AssociationRigorous Analysis Confirms NASA’s Artemis II Heat Shield PerformanceNASA’s Artemis II mission sent four astronauts around the Moon and brought them safely back to Earth, laying a foundation for crewed flights to the Moon’s surface. Additional engineering data analysis of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield confirmed initial data showing the heat shield performed as eSpace technologyNASA news releasesNASA Awards Enable Research, Technology to Build Future WorkforceNASA has selected 12 U.S. institutions to receive $12 million to accelerate academic research and technology development in support of the agency’s priorities for exploring the Moon, Mars, and deep space. Through NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Space Technology ArteSpace technologyNASA news releasesPower Up: Roll Out Solar Arrays Boost Space Station Power SupplyFrom the International Space Station’s unique position 250 miles above Earth, the Sun is a vital source of energy. Solar power supports the station’s life support systems, daily activities, and hundreds of research investigations that improve life on Earth and prepare humans for deep space exploratiSpace technologyNASA news releases
Wednesday, Oct 14
East Midlands set to benefit from £2.5bn fusion energy programmeUK Fusion Energy reported progress on the STEP Fusion programme at West Burton, highlighting its role in strengthening UK manufacturing and supply chains. The programme worked with 371 UK suppliers in 2025/26, with 80% of spending retained domestically, as development advances on the UK's prototype Fusion energyFusion Industry AssociationStartorus magnet sets field change recordChinese fusion company Startorus Fusion has completed cryogenic testing of its high-temperature superconducting central solenoid model magnet, achieving a reported record magnetic field change rate of 63 T/s and a peak field strength of 10 T. The milestone advances magnet development for the companyFusion energy, Advanced materialsFusion Industry AssociationNASA’s Space X CRS-35 Launch JellyfishSunlight illuminates the exhaust plumes of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft on Oct. 13, 2026. This visual phenomenon is known as a “jellyfish”; it happens near sunrise or sunset when the exhaust plume from the rocket becomes brightly illuminated, creating a glowing sSpace technologyNASA news releases