Can disruptive innovation help us feed the planet without harming the ocean?

Aquaculture already feeds over 3 billion people. But with a growing global population and increasing environmental pressures, fish farming needs more than incremental change. It needs a radical upgrade.

In this episode of BlueTech Around the World, we explore how TidalX, a company born from Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory (X), is bringing AI-powered underwater cameras, real-time monitoring, and predictive tools to reinvent aquaculture. One fish at a time.

My guest, Kira Smiley, Global Director of Sales & Marketing at TidalX, walks us through the bold vision behind the tech, the challenges of building innovation that works underwater, and how aquaculture can scale sustainably.

🔹 In this episode:
• Why start with salmon? The strategic logic behind launching in Norway.
• How underwater AI and real-time monitoring are transforming fish farming.
• Smart feeding, sea lice detection, and fish welfare insights, powered by machine learning.
• Designing tech that survives the harshest ocean conditions.
• Collaborating with farmers and respecting traditional expertise.
• Expanding beyond salmon: seabream, tilapia, algae, and new global markets.
• The Moonshot mindset: from Alphabet’s X to aquaculture impact.
• Advice for ocean innovators: when to think 10x , and when a pencil is better than a pen in space. 🚀

💡 The key question:
What happens when we apply moonshot thinking to the world’s oldest form of farming?Thank you for listening to BlueTech Around the World!

Want to connect with Kira or learn more about TidalX?
🌐 Website: www.tidalx.ai
🔗 LinkedIn: Kira Smiley

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