TechSurge: Deep Tech Podcast

Almost 2% of U.S. GDP will be spent on AI infrastructure this year, nearly double 2025's figure. But beneath those headline numbers, the composition of that spending has quietly flipped: for the first time, dollars spent on running models in production now outweigh dollars spent training them.
 
In this episode of TechSurge, host David Goldman speaks with Austin Lyons, a semiconductor analyst at Creative Strategies, co-host of the Semi Doped podcast, and author of the Chipstrat newsletter. Lyons previously worked as a hardware engineer at Intel and as a product manager on John Deere's autonomous tractor and Blue River Technology teams before turning to full-time chip industry analysis.
 
The conversation opens with why AI buyers have moved from assembling commoditized parts to buying entire pre-integrated systems, tracing how Nvidia's rack-scale approach, exemplified by its 72-GPU Grace Blackwell racks, made turnkey deployment the default, and why that raises the bar for any chip startup trying to compete. Lyons and Goldman then unpack how inference workloads have split into two distinct problems, prefill and decode, and how that split created an opening for SRAM-based challengers to outperform general-purpose GPUs on decode speed.
 
From there, the discussion turns to the rise of neoclouds, the GPU-rental companies that grew into public businesses worth well over $100 billion combined, and why so many traditional investors missed them. Lyons and Goldman work through the circular financing debate head-on: the mechanics of Nvidia's equity stakes, GPU-backed debt, and hyperscaler off-take agreements that critics compare to dot-com-era vendor financing, and the counterargument that demand is simply outrunning fixed supply.
 
The episode closes on Lyons's own framework for identifying the next trillion-dollar chip company, built on four conditions including the ability to run trillion-parameter models at rack scale, beat an incumbent on a key performance metric, and land a frontier anchor customer, along with a look at how AI-assisted chip design is lowering the barrier for more companies, from OpenAI to electric vehicle makers, to design their own custom silicon.
 
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Speaker Profiles and Links
 
David Goldman: Partner, Celesta Capital
 
Austin Lyons: Senior Analyst, Creative Strategies; Founder, Chipstrat; Co-host, Semi Doped
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinlyons/
Newsletter: https://www.chipstrat.com
 
Further Reading and Resources
 
Nvidia DGX GB Rack Scale Systems documentation: https://docs.nvidia.com/dgx/dgxgb200-user-guide/
OpenAI and Broadcom – "OpenAI and Broadcom Unveil LLM-Optimized Inference Chip": https://openai.com/index/openai-broadcom-jalapeno-inference-chip/
Chipstrat – Austin Lyons's newsletter: https://www.chipstrat.com
Semi-doped: https://semidoped.com/
 
Timestamps
 
00:00 — No One's Brought a Chip to Market Built for LLMs
01:21 — Introducing Austin Lyons
02:16 — Why AI Buyers Now Buy Whole Systems, Not Parts
08:18 — Nvidia's Margins and the Case for System Simplicity
10:10 — Can a Startup Compete When You Have to Sell Systems?
14:12 — Prefill vs. Decode: Splitting the Inference Workload
24:51 — Fragmentation vs. Consolidation in AI Silicon
28:22 — Why Investors Missed the First Wave of Neoclouds
38:18 — The Circular Financing Debate
48:29 — Lyons's Four Conditions for the Next Trillion-Dollar Chip Company
 
 About TechSurge:
TechSurge Podcast shares the latest insights directly from legendary Silicon Valley leaders,
daring new founders, and visionary technologists.
Subscribe for weekly conversations into the intersection of technology advancement, market dynamics, and founder journeys.
#AISilicon #LLMHardware #Nvidia #AIInference #TechPodcasts #AIInfrastructure

In this episode, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Dr. John Martinis reveals how his breakthrough in superconducting qubits made quantum physics real at macroscopic scale and what it means for the future of technology. The former lead of Google's Quantum AI lab explains why quantum computing is so fragile, why a lot of hype has a low chance to work, and why his fabless company Qolab could be the Nvidia of quantum computing
In this conversation, Dr. Martinis joins TechSurge to explain the science behind macroscopic quantum coherence, the engineering challenges of scaling quantum computers, and how hybrid quantum-classical computing will shape the future of technology.
The conversation covers:
✅ How the superconducting qubit breakthrough won the Nobel Prize in Physics
✅ Why Nature wants to destroy quantum coherence and why quantum is fragile
✅ From academic physics to building Google's quantum computer
✅ The engineering challenge of scaling quantum computing beyond the lab
✅ Why a lot of quantum computing hype has a low chance to work
✅ How Qolab's fabless model could scale quantum hardware
Guest Links:
John Martinis: 2025 Nobel Prize laureate in Physics, superconducting-qubit pioneer, former
Google quantum-hardware researcher, and founder and CTO of Qolab.
Nobel Prize profile: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2025/martinis/
Qolab: https://qolab.ai/
Further Reading and Resources
Google Sycamore Quantum Processor - Google’s 2019 experiment used a 53-qubit
superconducting processor to perform a specific random-circuit-sampling task substantially
faster than the then-known classical approach.
Nature research paper:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1666-5
Google Research explanation:
https://research.google/blog/quantum-supremacy-using-a-programmable-superconducting-processor/
Artificial Intelligence and Transformers – The Transformer architecture discussed in the
podcast was introduced in the paper “Attention Is All You Need.”
Original paper:
https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762
AlphaFold and Protein Structure Prediction – AlphaFold demonstrated how classical AI can
predict protein structures with high accuracy, illustrating the distinction between present-day AI
and potential future quantum applications.
Nature paper:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03819-2
Google DeepMind – AlphaFold:
https://deepmind.google/science/alphafold/
Quantum Computing Hardware Approaches – The podcast compares superconducting
qubits, semiconductor spin qubits, neutral atoms, trapped ions and photonic systems.
Google Quantum AI:
https://quantumai.google/
Intel Quantum Computing:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/research/quantum-computing.html
QuEra – Neutral-atom quantum computing:
https://www.quera.com/
Atom Computing:
https://atom-computing.com/
Quantum Manufacturing and Scaling – Qolab is focused on improving the fabrication, wiring and scalability of superconducting quantum processors through industrial partnerships.
Qolab:
https://qolab.ai/
Qolab and Applied Materials collaboration:
https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/03/18/qolab-secures-investment-from-applied-ventures-and-announces-collaboration-to-advance-quantum-computing-manufacturing/
Applied Materials:
https://www.appliedmaterials.com/
Quantum–Optical Networking – The podcast discusses the challenge of converting
microwave signals used by superconducting qubits into optical signals suitable for fiber-optic communication.
Microwave-to-optical conversion research:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-019-0650-1
Chapters:
00:00 – The Quantum Computing Hype: Physics vs Engineering
04:06 – Introducing Nobel Prize Winner John Martinis
12:09 – Schrödinger's Cat Explained
13:12 – Can Quantum Effects Exist at a Macroscopic Scale?
17:45 – The Experiment That Changed Quantum Computing
34:33 – The Biggest Challenge: Scaling Quantum Computers
43:21 – John Martinis on Google's Quantum Supremacy
45:51 – AI vs Quantum Computing
01:01:45 – Can Quantum and Classical Computers Work Together?
01:07:36 – The NVIDIA Model for Quantum Computing
About TechSurge:
TechSurge Podcast shares the latest insights directly from legendary Silicon Valley leaders,
daring new founders, and visionary technologists.
Subscribe for weekly conversations into the intersection of technology advancement, market dynamics, and founder journeys.
#quantumcomputing #quantumphysics #nobelprize #technology

Silicon Valley was built on semiconductors, but for nearly two decades, venture capital shifted its attention towards software. Today, AI is changing that as the demand for compute, memory and networking explodes, hardware is once again at the centre of the industry's biggest bets. 

In this episode of TechSurge, host Michael Marks speaks with Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel and one of the semiconductor industry's most influential investors and executives. The conversation traces Tan's journey from studying nuclear engineering at MIT to leading Cadence's turnaround, investing in more than 500 technology companies, and now steering Intel through one of the most significant transformations in its history.

Tan shares his VC conviction on backing semiconductor startups when most venture investors favored software, and why he believes AI's next breakthroughs will come from advances in memory, packaging, photonics, cooling and high-speed connectivity. He also opens up on the leadership philosophy that defined his time at Cadence, where listening to customers and building a culture of responsiveness became the foundation of the company's revival.

Wearing his CEO hat, Tan explains Intel's long-term strategy, why vertical integration still matters, how the company plans to reconnect with the startup ecosystem, and why missing another technology wave is not an option. 

Speaker Profiles and Links

Lip-Bu Tan: CEO of Intel Corporation, Chairman of Walden International, Founding Managing Partner of Walden Catalyst Ventures
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lip-bu-tan-284a7846/
celesta.vc bio link 
Intel ceo bio link 

Further reading and resources
Reuters – “Intel’s new CEO plots overhaul of manufacturing and AI operations”https://www.reuters.com/technology/intels-new-ceo-plots-overhaul-manufacturing-ai-operations-2025-03-17/ 
Intel – https://www.intel.com
Celesta Capital – https://www.celesta.vc
SIA – “Global annual semiconductor sales increase 25.6% to $791.7 billion in 2025” – https://www.semiconductors.org/global-annual-semiconductor-sales-increase-25-6-to-791-7-billion-in-2025/
Infercom – “What is an RDU? Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit” – https://infercom.ai/glossary/rdu/
SemiconductorX – “Advanced Packaging: CoWoS, Foveros, EMIB, 3D IC” – https://semiconductorx.com/packaging-overview.html
TWIML AI Podcast – “Dataflow Computing for AI Inference [Kunle Olukotun]” – https://twimlai.com/go/751

Chapters:

00:00- Introduction
03:03- Lip-Bu Tan's Journey to Silicon Valley
04:12- Betting on Semiconductors Before AI
06:25- Why Hardware Matters Again
07:35- Investing in Deep Tech
09:31- Learning Through Boardrooms
12:10- Building the Next Generation of AI Infrastructure
17:03- The Cadence Turnaround
19:03- Customer Obsession as a Leadership Strategy
23:02- Rebuilding Intel
26:03- AI's Next Bottlenecks
30:32- Looking Ahead: The Future of Computing

Artificial intelligence is often discussed through models and GPUs. This episode looks beneath that surface, at the power delivery and networking required to make AI work at scale.
Host Sriram Viswanathan speaks with Rajiv Khemani, a serial deep tech entrepreneur whose career has tracked several major infrastructure cycles: internet networking, cloud switching, blockchain compute and now AI networking. Khemani reflects on his early work at NetBoost and Intel, his operating role at Cavium, and the founding of Innovium, which Marvell agreed to acquire for $1.1 billion in 2021. He also explains how work on low-power blockchain silicon led his team toward the infrastructure demands created by generative AI.
The discussion examines why incumbents often overlook emerging markets, why purpose-built hardware can outperform systems inherited from an earlier technology cycle, and how founders decide whether to keep financing a company or sell while the outcome remains attractive. Khemani describes the concentration risk of selling to a small number of hyperscalers, the fragility of semiconductor supply chains, and why leading-edge chip development now demands much larger balance sheets.
The conversation then turns to AI’s emerging bottlenecks. Large models require many accelerators to operate as one computer, making low-latency scale-up and scale-out networks central to performance. The episode explores heterogeneous compute, open networking standards, memory scarcity, AI’s growing electricity demand, and the competition between AI and Bitcoin mining for energy. 

Speaker Profiles and Links

Sriram Viswanathan: Founding Managing Partner, Celesta Capital — https://www.linkedin.com/in/onesriram/
Rajiv Khemani: Co-founder and Executive Chairman, Upscale AI; deep-tech entrepreneur and IIT Delhi alumnus
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajivkhemani/
Profile and contribution to the IIT, Delhi, Yardi School of Artificial Intelligence : https://scai.iitd.ac.in/rajiv-khemani 

References Mentioned and Further Reading

Upscale AI : https://upscaleai.com/ 
Upscale AI Launch Announcement : https://upscaleai.com/press-release/ 
Velaura AI : https://velaura.ai/ 
Acquisition of Innovium and cloud data-centre switching rationale, Marvell: https://www.marvell.com/company/newsroom/marvell-to-acquire-innovium-accelerates-cloud-growth-with-expanded-ethernet-switching-portfolio.html 
Cavium combination and infrastructure semiconductor strategy, Marvell:  https://www.marvell.com/company/newsroom/marvell-and-cavium-to-combine-creating-an-infrastructure-solutions-powerhouse.html 
Energy and AI, International Energy Agency: https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai
Energy demand from AI, International Energy Agency: https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai/energy-demand-from-ai 
Tokenisation in the context of money and other assets, Bank for International Settlements : https://www.bis.org/cpmi/publ/d225.pdf 
Leveraging tokenisation for payments and financial transactions, Bank for International Settlements : https://www.bis.org/publ/othp92.pdf 
Collective communication for clusters exceeding 100,000 GPUs, Meta researchers : https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.20171 
Load balancing for AI training workloads, UC Berkeley researchers : https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.21372 
Reliability in large-scale machine-learning clusters : https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.21680 
Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System : https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf 

Timestamps:

[Timestamp] Chapter Title
00:00 - Highlights and welcome
02:28 - From IIT Delhi to Silicon Valley
07:50 - Building Through Major Technology Waves
10:19 - Why Incumbents Miss Emerging Markets And Where Start-Ups Win
12:47 - Building Innovium for the Cloud
19:37 - Supply Shocks and Strategic Exits
27:28 - From Bitcoin Chips to AI
30:09 - Bitcoin, Tokenisation and Energy
42:37 - Agentic AI and Future Networks
53:21 - Memory, Capital and Founder Resilience

Canada produces world-leading science, engineering, and AI research. So why does so much of that research still commercialize outside of Canada?

In this episode of TechSurge, host Nic Brathwaite puts that question to four leaders at two of Canada's top research universities: Mary Wells (Dean of Engineering) and Chris Houser (Dean of Science) at the University of Waterloo, and Heather Sheardown (Dean of Engineering) and Gianni Parise (VP Research) at McMaster.

At Waterloo, Mary Wells traces how the university's origin produced one of the world's most influential co-op programs and a creator-owned IP policy that lets inventors keep their ideas, making the school a talent engine for global tech. The group digs into Canada's AI paradox, foundational research and talent but far less of the economic value, and what quantum, robotics, and advanced manufacturing show about getting research to market.

McMaster runs a different model, built on health sciences, nuclear research, and problem-based learning. Heather Sheardown explains the McMaster Method and why it matters in an AI-shaped future. Gianni Parise argues for commercialization as a core university function, with work spanning AI-assisted drug discovery, inhaled vaccines, critical-mineral-free motors, and a campus nuclear reactor that supplies much of the world's iodine-125 for prostate cancer treatment. They also unpack Fusion Pharmaceuticals, the McMaster spin-out acquired by AstraZeneca, and what it reveals about university commercialization.

Together, these conversations ask what universities must become in an era defined by AI, deep tech, national competitiveness, and the urgent need to move ideas from the lab into the world.
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Speaker Profiles and Links
Mary Wells - University of Waterloo Profile: https://uwaterloo.ca/engineering/about/dean-engineerin
Chris Houser - University of Waterloo profile: https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-environmental-sciences/profile/chouser
Heather Sheardown - McMaster Engineering profile: https://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/chemeng/faculty/dr-heather-sheardown/
Gianni Parise - McMaster Experts Profile: https://experts.mcmaster.ca/people/parisegChapters:
0:00 Highlights
0:56 Welcome 
2:39 Waterloo’s origin story 
4:51 Creator-owned IP and the Waterloo model 
7:42 The Co-op Flywheel 
8:56 Canada’s AI paradox: world-class research, slower domestic value capture 
10:21 AI, Regulation, Trust, and Canadian Competitiveness 
17:09 Rethinking the PhD for Commercialisation 
21:43 Inside Waterloo’s labs 
30:14 What Waterloo wants to be in ten years: builders of the country 
32:39 Meet McMaster: health sciences, nuclear capability, and research intensity 
34:12 The McMaster Method 
35:11 Research, Health, and Commercialisation 
40:45 McMaster Labs: Heat, Motors and Health Innovation 
47:13 Bioinnovation, Nuclear Research and Fusion Pharmaceuticals 
58:43 The university of 2035: less lecture, deeper societal impact 

References Mentioned and Further Reading
University of Waterloo Policy 73 - Intellectual Property Rights: https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policies/policy-73-intellectual-property-rights
University of Waterloo - Our IP policy: https://uwaterloo.ca/entrepreneurship/our-ip-policy
University of Waterloo Co-op programs: https://uwaterloo.ca/future-students/co-op
University of Waterloo - Academy of Research Commercialization: https://uwaterloo.ca/conrad-school-entrepreneurship-business/graduate-students/academy-research-commercialization-arc
Open Quantum Design: https://openquantumdesign.org/
Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo: https://uwaterloo.ca/institute-for-quantum-computing/
CIFAR - Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy: https://cifar.ca/ai/
Government of Canada / ISED - Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy: https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en/pan-canadian-artificial-intelligence-strategy
Statistics Canada - Understanding Canada’s innovation paradox: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2024007/article/00002-eng.htm
Council of Canadian Academies - Innovation and Business Strategy: Why Canada Falls Short: https://cca-reports.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2009-06-11-innovation-report-1.pdf
KPMG / University of Melbourne - Trust, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/ca/pdf/2025/07/trust-in-ai-en-report.pdf
McMaster - Our approach to teaching and learning / Problem-Based Learning: https://provost.mcmaster.ca/teaching-learning/our-approach/
McMaster - Evidence-based medicine: https://fhshrwelcome.mcmaster.ca/did_you_know/evidence-based-medicine/
McMaster Nuclear Reactor - Medical Isotopes: https://nuclear.mcmaster.ca/medical-isotopes/
McMaster Industry Liaison Office - IP and commercialization FAQ: https://research.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-industry-liaison-office-milo/ip-education/intellectual-property-guides/faqs/
McMaster - AstraZeneca to acquire McMaster-supported Fusion Pharmaceuticals: https://news.mcmaster.ca/astrazeneca-to-acquire-mcmaster-supported-fusion-pharmaceuticals/
Fusion Pharmaceuticals - FACIT investment and CPDC spin-out background: https://fusionpharma.com/facit-announces-investment-in-fusion-pharmaceuticals-and-alpha-emitting-radiotherapeutics/
PubMed - Evidence-based medicine and problem-based learning at McMaster: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31617018/
ScienceDirect - Fifty Years on: The first problem-based learning programme at McMaster: