The hottest Infrastructure Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

Kyiv Metro vs the World: An Exploration

S(ubstack)-Bahn • 341 implied HN points • 22 Sep 23
🌐 International Transportation Labor Infrastructure War Innovation
  1. Kyiv Metro managed to run high frequency trains during wartime, which was a challenge for other systems.
  2. The success of Kyiv Metro can be attributed to infrastructural choices, like station typology, and organizational practices, like a Soviet-era philosophy of train throughput.
  3. Kyiv Metro's ability to operate effectively and maintain high frequencies is also due to having a surplus of labor, contributing to its resilience.

BREAKING: Norfolk Southern says it's willing to deal on the Red Line

The Charlotte Ledger • 275 implied HN points • 18 Oct 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Infrastructure Transportation Legislation Economy Government
  1. Norfolk Southern is now considering allowing commuter rail on its tracks in Mecklenburg after a 20-year impasse
  2. The change in Norfolk Southern's stance could give momentum to Charlotte's regional transit system plans
  3. The city leaders hope that a deal with Norfolk Southern for the Red Line could help secure support for a larger transit plan

Age of Invention: The Industrial Romantics

Age of Invention, by Anton Howes • 752 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
💾 History Industrialization Innovation Infrastructure Medicine
  1. Samuel More's passion for industry made him an industrial romantic who found awe in technological advancements.
  2. The West Midlands flourished and grew due to improvements in medicine, iron, ceramics, and new transportation infrastructure like roads, railways, and canals.
  3. Technology and infrastructure created an extraordinary boom in the West Midlands during a time of trade interruption from the American Revolution.

Toronto Budget 2024 (Olivia's Version) drops next week

City Hall Watcher • 78 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Policy Economy Infrastructure Housing
  1. Toronto City is seeing a trend where a few large corporations dominate the employment landscape, which could lead to political challenges.
  2. Toronto is working on improving housing development timelines and affordable housing projects to address the growing housing crisis.
  3. City Hall in Toronto is considering implementing new measures like a foreign buyer tax, revamping subsidy programs, and investing in dedicated bus lanes to improve transit infrastructure.
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Amtrak is still riding the nostalgia train

Urben Field Notes • 32 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
💼 Business Transportation Finances Government Infrastructure Policy
  1. Long-distance trains are nostalgic but may not be the most efficient way to provide rail service to small towns and neglected regions.
  2. Expanding long-distance train routes could reach more Americans, but issues include unreliable trip durations, inconvenient schedules, and high costs.
  3. Optimizing rail routes by focusing on shorter, higher-demand trips could be a more cost-effective and efficient way to improve passenger rail service in America.

The next big thing in 2024 will be...

next big thing • 85 implied HN points • 27 Dec 23
🕹 Technology AI Infrastructure Healthcare Content
  1. AI will drive business productivity in 2024 with a focus on AI showing ROI and AI-enabled applications.
  2. AI infrastructure will evolve with models pushing beyond transformer architecture and real-time AI becoming more embedded.
  3. Traditional enterprises will adopt generative AI at scale and the rise of private equity predicated on data moats and AI transformations.
  4. Geopolitical tensions will shape tech landscapes, and a return to the office culture might be on the horizon in 2024.

DePIN and DeREN: Toward a Better Classification of Decentralized Infrastructure Networks

Unsyndicated by Mason Nystrom • 137 implied HN points • 13 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Infrastructure Marketplaces Hardware
  1. Decentralized infrastructure networks can be categorized into DePINs and DeRENs based on their unique properties.
  2. DePINs use non-fungible resources deployed in specific locations, while DeRENs use fungible resources that are location-independent.
  3. Successful networks in both categories unlock new demand or expand the market in unique ways, not just compete on price.

How to Introduce Electric Vehicles in Sub Saharan Africa

In Depth on Africa Fintech • 78 implied HN points • 28 Dec 23
💼 Business Electric Vehicles Infrastructure
  1. Focus on applications where you maximize benefits and minimize problems when introducing EVs in Sub Saharan Africa.
  2. Consider fleet vehicles like delivery trucks and buses for EV adoption in Africa; they fit within defined urban routes and offer operational savings.
  3. Relaxing import duties on EVs compared to IC vehicles and providing incentives can help jump start the EV industry in Africa.

Five grand challenges of offshore wind financing in the United States

Jérôme à Paris • 121 implied HN points • 20 Nov 23
💰 Finance Renewable Energy Investment Workforce Regulation Infrastructure
  1. Offshore wind energy in the U.S. faces challenges like financing in early stages, policy support, workforce development, transmission barriers, and scaling floating wind technologies.
  2. There is a need for structural changes and alignment across various sectors to support the rapid growth of offshore wind energy in the U.S.
  3. Despite challenges, the U.S. has favorable conditions for offshore wind energy expansion and overcoming obstacles requires collaboration between researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and regulators.

The Assassination of HS2 by the Coward Rishi Sunak

S(ubstack)-Bahn • 180 implied HN points • 08 Oct 23
🌍 World Politics Infrastructure Transportation Government Costs Legislation
  1. HS2 was a major rail project in the UK, but was dramatically cancelled by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
  2. Political will is crucial in controlling the costs and completing high-speed rail projects.
  3. Comparison drawn between the cancelled HS2 project in the UK and the challenges faced by the California High-Speed Rail project.

The Dawn of Ronin

Ronin’s Newsletter • 73 implied HN points • 30 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Blockchain Gaming Infrastructure NFTs Web3
  1. Ronin blockchain has experienced significant growth in daily active users, market capitalization, and total value locked throughout 2023.
  2. The upgrade to Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) strengthened Ronin's security and decentralized the network, paving the way for more infrastructure development.
  3. Ronin introduced innovative features like Mavis Market for NFT creators, Ronin Name Service (RNS) for gamertags, and the Ronin Wallet with over 1.2 million new addresses in the past year.

On Visiting Southampton

The Pedestrian • 334 implied HN points • 04 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Travel City Planning Infrastructure
  1. Southampton's city planning is criticized for being dangerous and stressful for pedestrians.
  2. The lack of third places for communal activity in English cities is attributed to historical climate conditions.
  3. The author suggests a radical transformation of England's infrastructure to improve livability.

Potential U.S. Space Force Changes

Ill-Defined Space • 19 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Military Technology Training Operations Infrastructure
  1. The U.S. Space Force's missions, assets, and services are mostly about support to combat services like the Army and Navy.
  2. The Space Force relies on old systems which require specialized training, hindering transition to more modern, interoperable systems.
  3. The Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) will bring more capable and interconnected systems, requiring a shift in mindset and cooperation among space operators.

The EV Revolution is Upon Us

Dana Blankenhorn: Facing the Future • 58 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Electric Vehicles Innovation Market Trends Infrastructure Sustainability
  1. The Electric Vehicle (EV) revolution will lead to significant changes in the world, impacting car repair shops, gas stations, electricity demand, and the road network.
  2. Mass market EV adoption is currently happening in China, with affordable EVs becoming increasingly available from various car manufacturers worldwide.
  3. By 2030, most cars will be EVs, with technology advancements leading to cheaper and more competitive electric vehicles with longer ranges.

Frankly Speaking - Cloudflare is the most underrated security company

Frankly Speaking • 254 implied HN points • 18 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Security Networking Infrastructure Sales Market Analysis
  1. Cloudflare is considered an underrated security company in the industry, focusing on SASE and zero-trust solutions.
  2. Cloudflare's infrastructure is seen as a strong advantage and moat, making it valuable and defendable against competition.
  3. Cloudflare is making a bet on the future by targeting DevOps and security engineers for their products, showing a shift in the market towards software being purchased by technical personnel.

Iceland's new found popularity

The Global Jigsaw • 117 implied HN points • 03 Sep 23
🏝 Travel Tourism Economy Infrastructure Environment Sustainability
  1. Tourism is Iceland's biggest export industry, but there are concerns about the impact on the environment and culture.
  2. Tourism has played a significant role in Iceland's economy, especially in times of crisis like the financial crash and pandemic.
  3. The increase in tourism has led to infrastructure challenges and a debate on sustainable tourism practices in Iceland.

Should regulated utilities be prevented from owning EV charging assets?

Knowledge Problem • 196 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23
💼 Business Regulation Competition Infrastructure Innovation
  1. The default presumption should be to quarantine the monopoly in regulated utilities owning EV charging assets to prevent anti-competitive practices.
  2. Regulated utilities entering competitive EV charging markets may have unfair advantages by leveraging their regulated status.
  3. Allowing regulated utilities to own EV charging assets could stifle innovation and competition in the market compared to independent firms.

Twelve months on, flood-affected River Murray farmers are still doing it tough

Murray Bridge News • 19 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Natural Disasters Agriculture Government Response Infrastructure Community support
  1. Primary producers along the River Murray are still struggling after the floods from 2022-2023.
  2. The flooding caused land to become unusable, affecting farmers' income and livelihoods.
  3. Repairing the flood damage, dealing with unexpected costs, and ongoing stress have taken a toll on the farming community.

The Choice

Comment is Freed • 88 implied HN points • 09 Sep 23
🌍 World Politics Government Healthcare Infrastructure Economy
  1. The government will need to spend over 45% of national income on public services, benefits, and debt repayments by the mid-2040s.
  2. There are limited options for the next government as previous strategies to avoid high costs are no longer viable.
  3. Despite potential economic growth, tough decisions and budget constraints lie ahead for the government.

No one wants to host their own LLM Model or Blockchain Node

Olshansky's Newsletter • 12 HN points • 19 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Blockchain Infrastructure API Inference
  1. Users prefer paying for cheaper, faster, and easier-to-use solutions rather than hosting their own LLM models or blockchain nodes.
  2. Infrastructure companies in AI and Web3 are competing in a race to provide cost-effective services in a commoditized market.
  3. Success in open-core ecosystems requires balancing between hardware operation and gateway services, with a focus on reliability, performance, and cost.

How to make history with LLMs & other generative models

Leigh Marie’s Newsletter • 74 HN points • 21 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Infrastructure Applications Observability Privacy
  1. LLMs like Github Copilot can augment developer productivity and provide new opportunities for AI-enabled developer tools startups
  2. Generative models can significantly enhance efficiency for knowledge workers in fields like consulting, legal, medical, and finance, offering potential for startups in these areas
  3. New infrastructure opportunities exist around running large models locally, providing compute resources for model training, and challenging incumbents in ML frameworks and chips

NEPA Reform and Infrastructure

Knowledge Problem • 58 implied HN points • 05 Oct 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Policy Environment Infrastructure Reform Legislation
  1. NEPA was established in 1970 to protect the environment and involves thorough environmental impact assessments for federal projects.
  2. There have been debates about NEPA's benefits and drawbacks, with delays and litigation being common criticisms.
  3. Proposals for NEPA reform aim to balance environmental protection with reducing delays in project approvals.

Argentina's Energy Landscape from 2024 onwards

BowTiedMara - Geoarbitrage & Mobility Assets • 137 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
🌍 World Politics Energy Policy Infrastructure Industry Trade
  1. Argentina is likely to achieve energy independence in the near future.
  2. The current energy mix in Argentina relies heavily on fossil fuels, with plans for nuclear and hydroelectric expansion.
  3. Investments in pipelines and production in Vaca Muerta could lead Argentina to become a net exporter of energy by 2026.

The race to be the gateway to Eastern and Central Africa heats up

An Africanist Perspective • 158 implied HN points • 23 Jan 23
🌍 World Politics Infrastructure Economic Development Logistics
  1. The competition between Kenya and Tanzania as gateways to Eastern and Central Africa involves extensive infrastructure plans to link landlocked countries to the sea.
  2. The economic challenges of landlocked countries in the region show a need for improved transportation infrastructure to reduce costs and boost trade.
  3. While Kenya has a head start in infrastructure, Tanzania's cost-effective land acquisition and political stability position it to potentially surpass Kenya in the long run.

What’s happening with the Lower Murray’s levees? Not enough, opposition MPs say

Murray Bridge News • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Government Response Infrastructure
  1. Opposition MPs are concerned about the future of the levee network along the Lower Murray.
  2. Many levees along the Lower Murray were breached or overtopped during recent floods, causing damage to farmland.
  3. The government has committed to a three-year project to improve levee bank management on the River Murray and Gawler River.

Issue #77

Infra Weekly Newsletter • 18 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Kubernetes Generative AI Infrastructure
  1. Gentoo adds binary support, a positive move but perhaps a bit late.
  2. Security organizations should ask four key questions when selecting AI-SPM tools to ensure secure AI processes.
  3. Generative AI is set to transform the world in 2024 with advancements in various areas like multimodal models and autonomous agents.