So, with 2.14 beta in use, I finally got around to creating and playing a synthetic race. I know you build your own population, but I thought, pre crusade at least, there was tech that allowed you to build more than 1 person at a time. Did this change? Is it capped at 100 production per 1 person per colony the whole game? 

Also, I thought I saw in some Let's Plays that the synthetics had more buildings that produce raw output, to include money. Am I missing this, or is it a specific trait that does so?

Do synthetics not have a ship building increase structure? It seems that about 50% or more of planetary tile improvements are worthless/worth little for synthetics right now, though I am early game I did look through the tech tree. No population or approval is needed, which takes out those. No shipyards buildings to take advantage of the +ship constructions, and even their own +2 production to everything is only social for adjacency benefits (ie, a factory next to it grants it +1 to social, not +1 to all like the base is). Even the wealth isn't great since everything is a percentage, though I guess that isn't too uncommon, I swear I saw in a let's play one that was +1 per planet.

So, synthetics are cool, but it feels like they are missing a fair bit of techs to me, but maybe I am missing something instead?