Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Tungsram takes up Elon Musk’s USD 6 bln challenge

Tungsram takes up Elon Musk’s USD 6 bln challenge

Hungarian technology innovator Tungsram is proposing an answer to Elon Musk’s USD 6 billion offer to the United Nations World Food Program to alleviate world hunger. Indoor farming, food factories for Africa, and integrated food clusters for metropolitan areas are sustainable solutions to the global food crisis. Tungsram recently opened its R&D vertical farm in Budapest, the first of its kind in Central Europe.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk quickly responded to a challenge by UN World Food Program Director (WFP) David Beasley, who reportedly claimed that 2% of Elon Musk’s wealth could greatly help solve world hunger.

“If WFP can describe […] exactly how USD 6 bln will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it,” Musk wrote in a tweet, stipulating that the details must be “open-source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent.”

While the debate between the two continues, Hungarian mid-cap Tungsram has a proposal for WFP, the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), and the Tesla CEO.

“Indoor farming is the most viable solution to achieve this,” says Tungsram president & CEO Jörg Bauer, a former BBJ Expat CEO of the Year winner. “It is an exciting disruptive technology that balances on the thin line between agriculture, industry 4.0, and digital technology to provide feasible global solutions and produce staple food for large numbers of people, as well as integrated ecosystems that can feed animals in a sustainable manner.”

Since becoming independent from GE Lighting in 2018, Tungsram, a 125-year-old, innovative lighting and technology manufacturer, has been collaborating with academic and SME partners to develop indoor farming technologies in a quest to eliminate world hunger.

“Humanity will need to embrace sources of food that go beyond the traditional approach, such as algae, bacteria, and insects, which often have a much higher conversion rate of feed intake. By smartly combining different elements such as vertical farms, animal husbandry, insects, and fish, we can get very close to a zero-waste cluster with optimal productivity, allowing strategic autonomy even in countries with adverse climatic conditions,” Bauer insists.

The Tungsram team recently opened a 150 sqm vertical farm in Budapest to facilitate and advance research in this area. The facility, equipped with the company’s own high-end lighting solutions, is one of a kind in Central Europe.

The team is currently working on two indoor farming goals with its partners; both are deemed highly feasible. The projects focus on so-called food factory units for the African continent and zero-waste, circular food clusters. The food factories would cover basic nutritional needs (2,200 healthy calories plus 2.5 l of drinking water per person per day) in rural areas with an adverse climate, while the clusters would be located in the vicinity of large metropolitan areas to ensure decentralized food production locally.

“Establishing millions of these units could provide healthy and available food independent from weather or season, every single day of the year,” Bauer argues. He adds that the same technology is vital for Musk’s other big project, conquering Mars, where growing local food will be essential.

Global food security is one of humanity’s most pressing challenges and requires immense amounts of innovation and investment. The money the UN has requested from the world’s billionaires would have to be spent on solving several challenges that will pave the way to eventually building these units. One such challenge is a breakthrough in atmospheric water capture that could provide water in climate-stricken, arid areas.

Accelerated breeding that could make plants grow quicker and richer in nutrients without genetic modification is yet another innovation that would be a giant leap toward food security. Research and development in fertilizing, energy storage, remote operation, and automation is also a prerequisite to success.

Bauer says he is convinced that economies of scale could become food security powerhouses; developing and scaling solutions will allow the citizens of developing countries to live a sustainable and worthwhile life in their home regions. Governments and businesses should provide funding for research and innovation to scale food security. This same logic has already proved viable with batteries for electric cars, also an innovation by Elon Musk. “I’m ready to share the details of our plan with WFP, FAO, and Mr. Musk himself,” says Bauer.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×