This Week in European Tech with Dan, Mads and Lomax

Описание: A war threatens one of the world’s most critical energy choke points.
AI companies are clashing with governments over control of frontier models.
And hyperscalers are spending $650B on AI infrastructure while investors quietly debate whether the cycle is overheating.

This week on Upside, Dan Bowyer, Mads Jensen (SuperSeed) and Lomax Ward (Outsized Ventures) unpack a moment where energy, AI, defence and venture capital are colliding at once.

From the Strait of Hormuz and the economics of modern warfare to Anthropic’s confrontation with the Pentagon and Europe’s productivity crisis, this episode explores the structural forces shaping the next decade of technology and capital.

Because this isn’t just a tech news cycle.

It’s power, sovereignty, and infrastructure moving simultaneously.

What We Cover
• Why the Strait of Hormuz conflict matters for venture capital and inflation
• The rise of “fast-fashion warfare” and startup-driven defence innovation
• Anthropic vs the Pentagon and the question of who controls AI
• Are AI layoffs real productivity gains or post-Covid corrections?
• The $650B hyperscaler AI infrastructure bet
• Friedrich Merz and Europe’s productivity wake-up call
• Defence procurement and whether Europe’s defence startup boom is real
• Europe’s fusion moonshot and the long-term energy race

Chapters
00:00 Intro
03:00 War, energy and the Strait of Hormuz
10:30 Drones, defence startups and modern warfare
18:00 Anthropic vs the Pentagon
27:30 AI layoffs and the productivity narrative
34:30 The $650B AI infrastructure boom
44:00 Germany’s productivity reality check
52:30 Europe’s fusion moonshot

About Upside

Upside is a weekly deep dive into the forces shaping European venture, technology and geopolitics.

Hosted by:
Dan Bowyer
Mads Jensen (SuperSeed)
Lomax Ward (Outsized Ventures)

If you’re building or investing in AI, defence, deep tech or infrastructure, this podcast connects the dots behind the headlines.
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