SpaceX Wants $40 Billion for Nvidia Chips | Future Intelligence #30
Under the volatile mood surrounding semiconductors, AI infrastructure reshuffled this week. SpaceX is negotiating a package worth around $40 billion for NVDA accelerators and is buying nationwide 800 MHz spectrum for roughly $8 billion. That means a company that is not a hyperscaler is securing both computing capacity and spectrum. Waymo borrowed for the first time in its history, taking out a $5 billion loan; GOOGL’s robotaxi division is being financed as infrastructure, not as an experiment. And Google locked in 3,590 MW on the PJM grid with CEG—electricity, not chips, is becoming the constraint on AI expansion.
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Key points
Apple co-developed seven smart-home devices, but LG will put its brand on them
What lies behind Qualcomm’s first patent settlement with Huawei—and why it also concerns LogicFolding technology
SpaceX is buying nationwide 800 MHz spectrum and targeting the terrestrial mobile market with Starlink
Why PTC’s sharp jump and Seagate’s deep plunge crossed paths among the week’s movers
In brief: Waymo’s first loan, chip purchases for SpaceX, and Google’s power play
Apple and LG: seven devices designed by Apple but not made by Apple
Bloomberg, citing filings with the U.S. FCC and UL Solutions, described an unusual arrangement on October 6: seven smart-home devices co-developed by Apple will carry the LG brand. They include a wired video doorbell, a thermostat, a temperature sensor, a deadbolt-style smart lock, and three cameras—indoor, outdoor, and floodlight.
Apple’s name does not appear anywhere in the documents, and LG asked the FCC to keep the details confidential. The following day, the first renderings of the lock, thermostat, and sensor emerged from the filings; the lock’s keypad swings out as it rotates, while an attached pin limits its movement so it does not hit the wall.
Why Apple is letting go of the hardware
The division of labor is unprecedented for Apple: design and integration remain in Cupertino, but LG takes over manufacturing, branding, and customer support. Apple is thus buying breadth in the category without the costs of certifying locks and cameras, servicing them, or handling returns—and without the risk that low-margin accessories will dilute the hardware division’s margins.
The trade-off is that the category will not count toward Apple’s revenue. The value comes from the platform: according to Bloomberg, this is a formal reboot of HomeKit, where monetization comes through Apple devices, subscriptions, and ecosystem stickiness—not doorbell sales.
The centerpiece is hardware slated for October 13—a home hub, a new Apple TV 4K, and HomePod mini. The hub is expected to have a six-inch square display, an A18 chip or newer, an operating system referred to as homeOS, and an interface that changes the size of elements based on the user’s distance. LG’s accessories will arrive several months later.
One limitation matters for everyday users: the hub will not offer a third-party app store at launch. Calendar, Music, Podcasts, Reminders, Notes, and a new Siri app with conversation history will come pre-installed. The whole concept hinges on how well the new Siri handles voice control of the home.
The market Apple is entering
According to estimates, the U.S. smart-home market will be worth $47.5 billion to $50.2 billion in 2026, with penetration of approximately 57% of households; Parks Associates says 45% of U.S. internet households own a smart device. Growth is no longer driven by first-time purchases, but by adding devices to existing ecosystems.
The balance of power is unfavorable for Apple. Estimates put Amazon at roughly 28% of the market, Google at 24%, and Apple at 12%; in U.S. smart speakers, Echo holds 65% to 67%, Nest around 27%, and Apple 15%. Amazon also completed its nationwide rollout of Alexa+ in the U.S. on February 4, 2026.
Meanwhile, the Matter standard has erased part of the technical advantage: there are more than 700 certified products and around 1,000 Thread devices, roughly ten times as many as in 2024. When devices communicate across brands, competition shifts from protocols to assistants and hubs—precisely where Apple has lagged for years.
Apple, LG, and the price of an ecosystem
The timing is brutal. According to Nikkei Asia, Apple cut component orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max by 15% to 20% in October, as more expensive memory pushed prices higher—the base models start at $1,199 and $1,299, respectively—and demand softened. Sources say the more cautious stance dates back to early September.
The smart-home business will not make up for this shortfall anytime soon: the category will not directly contribute to Apple’s revenue, and doorbell and thermostat volumes are an order of magnitude smaller than iPhone volumes. The investment question for Apple stock is therefore not how many locks it will sell, but whether the new Siri can sustain a premium valuation in a year when the hardware cycle is slowing.
For LG, the deal confirms its shift toward custom B2B business. Preliminary third-quarter figures announced on October 7 showed revenue growth of 8.9% and operating profit growth of 13.5%, while the home-appliance division’s margin approached 10% in the second quarter. The Apple contract adds volume without the cost of building its own platform.
What to watch on October 13: the hub’s price, the delivery date for LG accessories, and especially how many of Siri’s promised features will actually work from day one. A delay in the assistant’s capabilities would turn the entire reboot into another expensive version of HomePod—a product that failed to expand the ecosystem.
Qualcomm pays Huawei: LogicFolding heads West
Qualcomm and Huawei announced a multi-year cross-licensing agreement on October 5 covering patents in 5G, computing, AI, and networking. It is the companies’ first licensing deal to cover 5G, and Qualcomm is also acquiring some of Huawei’s U.S. patents in computing, AI, and networking. The portfolio also includes patents related to LogicFolding technology.