Happy Thanksgiving - Choose Your Topic
From Nvidia in Ukraine to Phones made in USA to Immigration
Happy Thanksgiving. We obviously don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in France, but I’ve taken the advantage of living in three cultures and hoard any celebration I can. My annual holiday clock has the options of Mardi Gras, Laskiainen, Easter, Vappu, Midsummer, 4th of July, Bastille Day, Halloween, pikkujoulu, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This Thanksgiving I’m grateful for You. Every time I publish an article of an episode and look at the open rate increase, I think of each one of my readers and podcast listeners. I hope you are well, I hope you will have the time and the intrest to read or listen to what I have to share that day. I always wonder how you liked it.
I’m writing this on a train going home from Luxembourg. Tomorrow, Friday, is the last day of a two year assignment at the European Investment Bank. Yesterday I walked out of the EIB Luxembourg office knowing I may never return. Even though I always knew this was a temporary assignment, it felt emotional to say goodbyes. But I’m grateful I had the opportunity to be there, to meet those people, and learn that trade.
I’m also immensely grateful for my family, my children who are each thriving in the world independently. And my husband, Ismo, who is fearlessly building a new business in one of the most difficult industries in the world.
How about you? What are you up to? I’m always looking for interesting stories to explore. If you have something you’d like to share, please get in touch to see if we could have you on the podcast, or use your story in the newsletter.
It’s been an unusually busy week so I haven’t had much time to work on the weekly newsletter. So, instead of a longer piece, I’m going to test Substack’s polling function and put some ideas in front of you to choose my next week’s topic.
Please vote below!
A) Ukraine works with Nvidia to Defend its Tech Sovereignty
Ukraine’s Ministry of digital transformations has partnered with Nvidia to develop infrastructure and human capital for AI. The goal is to make Ukraine an AGENTIVE STATE. The first initiative is to develop LLM tailored to Ukrainian legislation, public services and citizen needs.
Ukraine will get access to Nvidia’s specialized software stack for AI development, from infrastructure to applications. Nvidia will provide technical expertise to accelerate model training and reduce cost, and consulting and support from Nvidia experts including workshops and architecture review sessions.
I could explore what kinds of risks there are for Ukraine, and whether USA’s plans to own parts of Nvidia and other tech companies play a role.
“Isn’t it crazy how the internet used to be an escape from the real world, and now the real world is an escape from the internet “
B) Made in America Smartphones
Back in June the Trump Organization launched a Made in the USA smartphone, but have now quietly edited the website to tone down the promise. Now, instead of MADE IN AMERICA, the model T1 would be “brought to life right here in the USA” with “American hands behind every device”.
I could use my experience and networks from Nokia to break down what it takes to build a phone, and more importantly, masses of them. Why is it so difficult to build phones in the U.S. but would it be impossible?
C) Russia Must Surrender
We are witnessing yet another “peace plan”, negotiations driven by Russia’s interests, brought forward by the U.S. administration. What historians and policy professionals know, there is no dealmaking with Russia regarding land. They have historically not honored peace deals negotiated in cabinets. The only borders that have not been touched by new Russian leaders are those borders that were secured by force in the past.
I could look into this in more detail, referencing my previous long article on Russia’s history.
D) Immigration
As I was writing my book in 2021-2022 I did extensive research on how immigration affects innovation. I used Canada and Brexit-UK as examples, but because of Covid the Brexit statistics were not reliable. Now, there’s been new information coming out from the UK, and also the U.S.
The new Republic writes that “Trump’s mass deportation scheme is estimated to reduce the GDP by between 4.2 to 6.8 % according to the American Immigration council.” Should I revisit the Brexit statistics and try to find out real numbers on how immigration affects the economy, especially the tech industry?
Please vote for your favorite topic
Thank you and enjoy the rest of your week, wherever you are <3
About Deep Policy
Stay relevant and connect the dots.
Hi, I’m Petra Söderling. Welcome to Deep Policy, a space where I help you understand how governments, technology, and innovation policy shape the world around us.
This newsletter and blog continue the conversation I began in my book Government and Innovation – the Economic Developer’s Guide to Our Future, and on my podcast Deep Pockets with Petra Soderling. If you’ve ever wondered why governments pour billions into quantum, AI, or biotech, or how geopolitics bends the path of technology, you’re in the right place.
Every week, I share a mix of deep-dive essays, timely analysis, and cultural reflections, always with an eye toward what matters for you: the choices being made now that will shape your future economy, your industry, and your society.
Additional Resources
For more analysis, insight, maybe some entertainment, please feel free to explore these:
Petra Soderling & Co advisory services
Consulting governments, NGOs and companies on the economic and financial impact of deeptech. It’s not just me, it’s a whole team! Selected testimonials for my work from private clients can be found here. A banner with most notable public clients can be found here.
Deep Pockets Podcast
Every second week, more or less diligently, I bring forward a guest to discuss all things in the intersection of government and innovation.
The Book: Government and Innovation - the Economic Developer’s Guide to our Future
My 2022 Amazon Hot New Release (editorial pick) is divided in three sections; the Tools that governments have to create new innovative industries, Examples from five countries who’ve done it right, and a How To section for implementation. Available in paperback or hard cover.
The audiobook: Government and Innovation - the Economic Developer’s Guide to our Future
My 2022 Amazon Hot New Release (editorial pick) is divided in three sections; the Tools that governments have to create new innovative industries, Examples from five countries who’ve done it right, and a How To section for implementation. Available in paperback or hard cover.
Quantum Strategy Institute
In my role as the Head of Government and Consortium Relations at QSI, I’ve written many papers on how public quantum strategies support economic growth. Explore the full website or find my articles directly here.