EVENTS ANNOUNCEMENT
Future Investments Circle in Dubai
Before we let you get to this week’s newsletter, we have a short announcement for you.
Next Monday, the Future Investments Circle heads to Dubai, together with AIM Congress. Following our debut in Davos during the World Economic Forum, we're bringing our curated, closed-door investor gathering to the region on 7 September — with a focus on the space economy, robotics, and longevity. Places are limited and by application.
Now onto this week’s stories.
AI & GENERATIVE TECHNOLOGY
Together AI Routes 250MW to Saudi Arabia, Around the US Backlash
Together AI has signed a partnership with HUMAIN, Saudi Arabia's PIF-backed AI company, to build a 250-megawatt data center in the Kingdom — one of the largest disclosed facilities purpose-built to host open-source models. The San Francisco startup will run its AI cloud on HUMAIN's infrastructure and power, sharing revenue per customer. The companies project over $5B in first-year annualized revenue and pitch Saudi power and geography as a gateway to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
What happened
Together AI and HUMAIN will build a 250MW data center in Saudi Arabia for open-source AI training and inference.
The deal targets $5B+ in first-year annualized revenue, with HUMAIN providing power and capital, Together its cloud.
Together AI says it serves 1M+ developers on open-source models.
Why it matters
The deal lets Together bypass mounting US data-center backlash by siting capacity abroad.
It gives open-source AI a hyperscaler-grade compute base, closing the gap with closed-model incumbents.
Gulf sovereign capital (PIF via HUMAIN) is buying its way into the global AI supply chain.
For investors
Together AI (private, ~$3.3B) offers exposure to the open-source inference layer as it scales.
Sovereign-backed offshore compute is a new template for routing around Western permitting and power limits.
Risk: the $5B revenue projection lacks disclosed methodology, GPU counts, or a construction schedule.
Read more: Business Wire (August 31, 2026)
NEUROTECHNOLOGY & BCI
Sam Altman's Merge Labs Bets on Ultrasound — and Picks Its Chip Supplier
Merge Labs, the OpenAI- and Sam Altman-backed brain-interface startup that launched in January with a $252M seed, has named Butterfly Network its exclusive ultrasound-on-chip supplier. The multi-year deal gives Merge access to Butterfly's semiconductor-based Poseidon platform to build non-invasive, ultrasound-based brain-computer interfaces — a fundamentally different bet from the electrode implants of Neuralink, Paradromics, and Synchron. Butterfly gets upfront fees, milestones, hardware commitments, and future royalties.
What happened
Merge Labs named Butterfly Network (NYSE: BFLY) its exclusive ultrasound-on-chip supplier under a multi-year deal.
Merge will use Butterfly's Poseidon platform to build non-invasive, ultrasound-based BCIs.
Butterfly receives upfront, milestone, hardware, and royalty payments; financials undisclosed.
Why it matters
Ultrasound offers a path to reading the brain without cutting into it — sidestepping implant surgery.
The deal gives ultrasound BCI a US-listed industrial supply chain, a maturity signal for the approach.
It pits Altman's Merge against Musk's Neuralink on fundamentally different physics.
For Investors
Merge Labs (private, $252M seed) is the marquee non-invasive challenger in a field dominated by implants.
Butterfly is the picks-and-shovels beneficiary — but it's public and non-exclusive across other BCI clients.
Risk: ultrasound BCI is early and unproven through the skull; no products, indications, or timelines disclosed.
Read more: StockTitan (September 1, 2026)
ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION
Unitree's 629% Debut Reprices the Entire Humanoid Sector
China's Unitree Robotics stunned markets on its Shanghai debut, opening 629% above its IPO price and touching a ~$66B intraday valuation before closing up 460% at roughly $50B — briefly worth more than Figure AI, the most valuable US humanoid maker at $39B. The Hangzhou company, already profitable and the world's top humanoid shipper, raised ~$905M. Its retail tranche was oversubscribed more than 5,000 times, a barometer of embodied-AI mania.
What happened
Unitree opened +629% and closed +460% (~$50B) on its Shanghai STAR Market debut, raising ~$905M.
The intraday peak (~$66B) briefly topped Figure AI's $39B private mark.
Unitree is already profitable (2025 revenue ~$252M) and shipped the most humanoids globally.
Why it matters
Unitree sets the first public valuation benchmark for embodied AI — and an eye-watering one.
The debut signals investor appetite has shifted from foundation models to physical AI.
It cements China's ~82% share of global humanoid shipments as a strategic advantage.
For Investors
Unitree is China-listed and uninvestable for this audience — read it as a sector valuation signal.
Public benchmarks like this will reprice private humanoid rounds (Figure, Apptronik, and peers).
Risk: at ~1,200x trailing earnings, the debut prices decades of flawless execution; analysts warn the shipment upcycle may be illusory.
Read more: SCMP (August 19, 2026)
QUANTUM COMPUTING
Infleqtion Wins $20M More From NASA to Put a Quantum Sensor in Orbit
Infleqtion has secured a $20M follow-on contract from NASA, doubling its funding to $40M for the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder — a space-based quantum sensor that maps Earth's gravity in high resolution using cold-atom interferometry. The award moves the mission into hardware integration and microgravity ground testing, targeting a 2030 low-Earth-orbit demonstration. It's a reminder that quantum's nearest-term payoffs may come from sensing, not computing.
What happened
Infleqtion won a $20M NASA follow-on (total ~$40M) for its Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder.
The contract funds hardware integration and microgravity testing toward a 2030 LEO flight demo.
The sensor uses cold-atom interferometry for high-resolution Earth gravity mapping.
Why it matters
Quantum sensing offers commercial payoffs years ahead of fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Space-based gravity gradiometry has uses in resource mapping, navigation, and climate monitoring.
Repeat NASA backing de-risks Infleqtion's dual computing-and-sensing strategy.
For investors
Infleqtion (private) is a rare play on the quantum-sensing niche, away from the crowded qubit race.
Government contracts provide non-dilutive revenue and validation at an early stage.
Risk: a 2030 flight demo is distant, and sensing revenue stays modest against the computing hype.
Read more: Quantum Computing Report (August 27, 2026)
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
EYWA by R.Evolution × Longevity Investors
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Architecture as a carrier of health — buildings designed from the ground up around the biology of the people inside them
Technology as an amplifier of ancient wisdom — biometric data and natural systems integrated at the design level
Wellbeing as a measurable asset — longevity science embedded in every structural and environmental decision
Community as a protective layer — a curated global ecosystem of health-conscious individuals
IP as scalable value — a multi-platform ecosystem for designing human life, built to grow with the science
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Disclaimer
Prepared by Future Investments News for general information only; not investment, legal, or tax advice. No offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security or financial instrument. Past trends and transactions are not reliable indicators of future results. Readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified advisers before making decisions.
Stay ahead,
Future Investments News team.
Future Investments News — Signals shaping the next decade of investment.