Ep. 27 | Two Google Senior VPs of Engineering: From Shipping Containers to Today's Data Centers

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

#Tech #EETech Media #Allaboutcircuits #Electricalengineering #Engineeringpodcast #Science #Physics #Engineering #Business #Industries #Circuit

26:28

Squid Game is back—and this time, the knives are out. In the thrilling Season 3 premiere, Player 456 is spiraling and a brutal round of hide-and-seek forces players to kill or be killed. Hosts Phil Yu and Kiera Please break down Gi-hun’s descent into vengeance, Guard 011’s daring betrayal of the Game, and the shocking moment players are forced to choose between murdering their friends… or dying. Then, Carlos Juico and Gavin Ruta from the Jumpers Jump podcast join us to unpack their wild theories for the season. Plus, Phil and Kiera face off in a high-stakes round of “Hot Sweet Potato.” SPOILER ALERT! Make sure you watch Squid Game Season 3 Episode 1 before listening on. Play one last time. IG - @SquidGameNetflix X (f.k.a. Twitter) - @SquidGame Check out more from Phil Yu @angryasianman , Kiera Please @kieraplease and the Jumpers Jump podcast Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts . Squid Game: The Official Podcast is produced by Netflix and The Mash-Up Americans.…

4 years ago 58:50

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Google is one of the most prominent corporations in history. Since its founding in 1998, it's gone from a scrappy startup in Silicon Valley to the portal through which most people access the internet.

How do you even begin to design compute infrastructure that massive?

This week on Moore's Lobby, Dave talks with TWO Google Senior VPs of Engineering, Google Fellows Luiz Barroso and Amin Vahdat.

In this conversation, you'll hear about the early days of Google, back when their data centers were barely more than broom closets and the team was "unencumbered by expertise" in data center design. You'll hear about the off-the-wall iterations of their early data center ideas (like that time Google put their data centers into shipping containers, which is way more reasonable than it may sound at first). You'll hear about the incredible promise of the applications Google's tackling today—and the costs that come with that world-changing power.

On the way, you'll learn more about two electrical engineers who came from very different backgrounds, pursued different specialties in academia, and yet ended up working together on some of the most extraordinary challenges facing compute in the modern era.

This episode will illuminate the past and future of Google from the engineering side and how “healthy hubris” leads to "a healthy disregard for the impossible.”

Meet Luiz Barroso and Amin Vahdat Luiz Barroso

Luiz André Barroso is a Google Fellow leading the office of Cross-Google Engineering (XGE) from where he coordinates key technical initiatives that span multiple Google products. Over his two decades at Google he has worked as a VP of Engineering in the Core and Maps teams, and was a technical leader in areas such as Google Search and the design of Google’s computing platform.

Luiz has published several technical papers and has co-authored “The Datacenter as a Computer”, the first textbook to describe the architecture of warehouse-scale computing systems, now in its 3rd edition. Luiz is a Fellow of the ACM and the AAAS, and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica of Rio de Janeiro and a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California. Recently he was awarded the 2020 Eckert-Mauchly Award.

Amin Vahdat

Amin Vahdat is a Google Fellow and Technical Lead for networking at Google. He has contributed to Google’s data center, wide area, edge/CDN, and cloud networking infrastructure, with a particular focus on driving vertical integration across large-scale compute, networking, and storage.

In the past, he was the SAIC Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego and the Director of UCSD’s Center for Networked Systems. Vahdat received his PhD from UC Berkeley in Computer Science, is an ACM Fellow and a past recipient of the NSF CAREER award, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, and the Duke University David and Janet Vaughn Teaching Award.

96 episodes

Ep. 27 | Two Google Senior VPs of Engineering: From Shipping Containers to Today's Data Centers

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

61 subscribers

published 4 years ago

MP3•Episode home

How do you even begin to design compute infrastructure that massive?

This week on Moore's Lobby, Dave talks with TWO Google Senior VPs of Engineering, Google Fellows Luiz Barroso and Amin Vahdat.

This episode will illuminate the past and future of Google from the engineering side and how “healthy hubris” leads to "a healthy disregard for the impossible.”

Meet Luiz Barroso and Amin Vahdat Luiz Barroso

Amin Vahdat

96 episodes

#Tech #EETech Media #Allaboutcircuits #Electricalengineering #Engineeringpodcast #Science #Physics #Engineering #Business #Industries #Circuit

All episodes

1
Aligning Passion With Purpose: A Journey to Electrification and Sustainability 56:43

24 days ago56:43

56:43

Dr. Mital Kanabar is the Senior Director of Innovation, Grid Automation, Grid Solutions at GE Vernova. He joins our podcast to discuss the explosive electricity demand driven by electric vehicles, AI data centers, and the general electrification of industries. This increased demand puts a strain on an aging infrastructure, necessitating new solutions to ensure a reliable and resilient power supply. Check out this engaging conversation that touches on a number of important topics, including: Decarbonization and Green Electrons: The push to generate electricity from renewable sources like wind, solar, and nuclear power to reduce carbon emissions. Software-Defined Automation: The shift from rigid, hardware-based grid control to flexible, software-driven systems like GE Vernova's GridBeats platform, which uses AI and machine learning. Bi-Directional Power Flow: The concept of "prosumers," where consumers of electricity, such as electric vehicle owners, can also supply power back to the grid. Cybersecurity in the Digital Grid: The increasing importance of protecting the power grid from cyberattacks as it becomes more digitized and interconnected.…

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Generative AI for Dirty Jobs—The Next Industrial Revolution? 54:05

7 weeks ago54:05

54:05

Christopher Savoie, the founder and CEO of Zapata Computing, has had a fascinating career journey. After beginning as a young programmer working with early computers, he switched gears to immunology and biophysics in Japan and is now founding AI companies. Along the way, he was also involved in creating the foundational technology for Apple Siri, working on early language models embedded in agents to solve complex natural language problems. In this interview with our host, Daniel Bogdanoff, Savoie highlights the evolution of AI into specialized systems. Like an orchestra, small, task-specific models working in ensembles are more effective than large, monolithic ones. He also shares how AI transforms automotive, motorsports, and grid management industries. Savoie recounts his experiences at Nissan with predictive battery analytics and Andretti Autosport, where AI-driven simulations optimize race strategies. Savoy warned about the potential misuse of AI and big data, advocating for ethical considerations, especially around privacy and government control. Despite these challenges, he remains optimistic about AI's potential, expressing a desire for tools to handle complex personal organization tasks, such as multi-modal time and travel management.…

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Creating Next-Gen Microcontroller Developer Tools and Equipping the People Who Use Them 49:40

11 weeks ago49:40

49:40

In this interview, our Moore’s Lobby host, Daniel Bogdanoff, chats with Rodger Richey, Vice President of Development Tools and Academic Programs at Microchip Technology. Rodger shares how his passion for engineering began with childhood curiosity, dismantling and repairing devices like a microwave. Those early hands-on experiences laid the foundation for his electrical engineering career, which started with designing underwater electronics for the U.S. Navy. Rodger discusses the evolution of development tools and the growing complexity of embedded systems over his 30-year tenure at Microchip. He emphasizes the importance of creating accessible and user-friendly tools, such as IDEs and development boards, to help developers tackle increasingly sophisticated projects. The integration of AI into development workflows is a major milestone, enabling enhanced productivity and better debugging. Rodger also highlights his involvement in academia, spearheading initiatives like virtual internships and hands-on learning programs to better prepare students for industry roles. By providing real-world tools and fostering collaboration, these programs aim to bridge the gap between theoretical education and practical application. Rodger attributes his longevity at Microchip to its strong values, collaborative culture, and dedication to innovation, which have remained consistent even as the company has grown significantly.…

1
Navigating the AI Revolution in Education, Workforce Development, and Government 48:58

16 weeks ago48:58

48:58

The interview explores K S Venkatraman's journey in technology, NVIDIA’s growth, and the future of AI. Venkatraman reflects on his academic upbringing and early experiments with electronics. He reflects on his that began at Intel and eventually transitioned to NVIDIA after a brief startup venture. In this conversation with our Moore’s Lobby host, Daniel Bogdanoff, Venkatraman delves into pivotal technological advancements. This includes the development of GPUs for AI and the role of hardware-software co-design in fueling the AI revolution. Looking ahead, Venkatraman envisions AI addressing global challenges, including education and healthcare. He emphasizes the importance of AI education and encourages engineers to leverage AI tools to enhance productivity without fearing job displacement. He also stresses the necessity of ethical AI practices and collaboration between corporations and governments to ensure responsible innovation. The interview concludes with insights into unusual AI applications, like generative models for text-to-video, and Venkatraman’s optimism about the transformative potential of AI across all sectors. His closing advice underscores embracing AI as a tool for solving complex problems and fostering continuous learning.…

1
GaN Powers Up in AI, Robotics, and Our Lives 51:41

20 weeks ago51:41

51:41

In this fascinating interview, Alex Lidow discusses his early exposure to semiconductors through his father and grandfather, who founded International Rectifier. Initially pursuing aeronautical engineering at Caltech, he shifted to solid-state physics, igniting a lifelong career. He shares his role in developing HexFETs, a groundbreaking transistor technology, highlighting the creativity and persistence required for innovation. After being unexpectedly dismissed from International Rectifier, Alex founded EPC to focus on GaN technology. He details GaN’s superior properties, such as high efficiency and robustness, which make it a transformative alternative to silicon in power devices. Despite early struggles with manufacturing yields, persistence led to breakthroughs that enabled GaN’s application in LiDAR, space electronics, and fast chargers. Alex reflects on how mistakes foster breakthroughs and stresses the importance of education to help engineers adopt GaN technology. Looking ahead, Alex expresses excitement about emerging applications, such as humanoid robots, where GaN’s integration in motors, AI, and LiDAR could revolutionize industries. His advice to aspiring innovators is to embrace challenges and persist through the highs and lows of invention.…

1
Technology and AI Leap Ahead, While Societal Institutions Race To Catch Up 52:18

24 weeks ago52:18

52:18

Discover the fascinating journey of Amar Gupta, a technologist and educator at MIT, as he shares insights into his groundbreaking work across industries. In this interview with our host, Daniel Bogdanoff, Gupta reflects on his early passion for innovation, which included the development of electronic check-processing systems that revolutionized global banking. Gupta’s contributions to telemedicine are equally compelling. Hear how he saw the potential of remote healthcare decades before it became mainstream, overcoming resistance and shaping policies like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ telehealth framework. His stories reveal the intersection of creativity, perseverance, and interdisciplinary collaboration that drives meaningful change. The interview also delves into Gupta’s unique approach to teaching and mentoring, where he inspires students to tackle societal challenges, including AI-driven health monitoring systems and advanced dental imaging. Gupta provides thought-provoking commentary on the ethical responsibilities of engineers, the importance of global collaboration, and the role of crisis in driving innovation. His candid reflections on his career may inspire you to think differently about technology’s potential to change the world.…

1
QSPICE Circuit Simulation: A Spicy Discussion with Mike Engelhardt 55:52

49 weeks ago55:52

55:52

If you are interested in electronics, history, or simple amazing stories, you will enjoy this podcast interview with our Moore’s Lobby host, Daniel Bogdanoff. Mike Engelhardt has been developing simulation tools since 1975. He is best known for creating LTspice, which is believed to be the most widely distributed and used SPICE analog electronic circuit simulator in the world. Recently, he realized that he could take advantage of the massive improvements in both hardware and software to develop a radically improved circuit simulation engine; thus, QSPICE was born. Engelhardt explains how he created a better SPICE tool that could dramatically increase simulation speed while simultaneously improving functionality, accuracy, and reliability. As you will hear, Mike’s amazing career includes developing simulation tools for applications as diverse as scanning electron microscopes and locating underground petroleum deposits. Here are a few more teasers about what you will hear in this far-ranging discussion with Engelhardt: -The biggest early roadblock to simulation adoption in the EE world. -Why simulations are more important than hardware to an engineer. -The importance of time-domain simulation. -Insights into QSPICE for power simulation of wide bandgap semiconductors like GaN and SiC.…

1
Improving Electronic Design Collaboration by Shifting Left and Right 52:20

51 weeks ago52:20

52:20

Ananth Avva is “a big believer that if you give human beings the right type of information and you contextualize it, they will make the right decision ultimately for the organization.” In his current role at Altium as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cloud Platform, he is leading efforts to improve and accelerate collaboration because “collaboration trumps everything else” as it drives speed to market, lower costs, and more efficient development. He has seen companies attempt to transition engineering teams to software-as-a-service (SaaS). In his experience, “that usually goes sideways pretty fast.” With Altium 365, Avva and his team are trying to seamlessly bring SaaS into engineering. Their goals are to enable what they call shifting left and shifting right. When shifting left, they aim to take decisions that were traditionally late in the product life cycle and move those requirements earlier in the design process. This can allow the procurement, operations, compliance, and manufacturing teams to provide vital context for better design decisions. Similarly, shifting right passes design information downstream more quickly to avoid costly delays or respins. If your organization is developing electronic products, you will benefit from this Moore’s Lobby podcast discussion hosted by Daniel Bogdanoff. Avva explains that companies consistently overestimate the cost of change and underestimate the benefits. They may also have the wrong “whys” behind why not to change. He goes on to explain that these can be “a bit of a phantom menace.” In his opinion, these are changes all companies will need to make to remain competitive in the market: Let's say you don't do it. The world is headed that way anyway, so what happens? Let's fast-forward five years, you're gonna have to do it.…

1
5G and IoT: What Will It Take for Them to Get Along? 47:37

1 year ago47:37

47:37

Thomas Keller is the Director of Platforms and Core Technology at u-blox. He learned early in his career that technology development does not always progress in a perfectly straight line. During his PhD studies, he worked on Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) as a candidate technology for 3G cellular network deployment. OFDM lost that initial tech battle to Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) but later returned in LTE cellular systems. In this fascinating conversation, Keller discusses the challenges facing the industry today as low-power, low-bandwidth, low-cost IoT devices attempt to connect to a 5G network focused on high-power, high-bandwidth, low-latency applications. Interestingly, much of our current 5G networks are still relying upon an LTE backend. What happens when LTE goes away? In this Moore’s Lobby podcast with our host, Daniel Bogdanoff, Keller offers his thoughts on what should come next and guidance for developers who need to navigate the phase-out of LTE worldwide. This interesting topic deserves thoughtful consideration and impacts system designers and companies across a wide range of industries.…

1
Looking Down to Go Forward: Ground Penetrating Radar for Autonomous Vehicles 55:32

1 year ago55:32

55:32

If you enjoy hearing passionate people talk about jobs they love and technology that fascinates them, you are in for a treat. Noah Gedrimas grew up with a love of vehicles—cars, tractors, construction equipment, and snowmobiles. In college, he built a one-fifth-scale car and then programmed it to self-park, which led him to a “newfound respect for mechatronics” and its ability to support really complex maneuvers. In this interview, Gedrimas reflects with enthusiasm on his time at Continental Automotive, working on everything from autonomous valet parking to electric shuttles and semi-trucks. Now, Gedrimas is applying that passion to ground-positioning radar technology at GPR. They are using ground-penetrating radar to capture unique, sub-surface data for positioning. Inclement weather compromised line of sight, roads with poor or no lane marking, weak GPS signals, and road terrain no longer affect the uptime and availability of autonomous navigation. You will want to join our host, Daniel Bogdanoff, as he chats with Gedrimas about: -Cadavers in cars. -The feature-rich information that lies below the ground. -The compute requirements when compared to cameras or lidar. -Early adopters of GPR technology. And much more that you will not want to miss.…

1
Changing the World One Wireless RF Chip at a Time 43:18

1 year ago43:18

43:18

After beginning his career with Hewlett-Packard, David Su met a friend for lunch to learn about a new startup called Atheros. He was so excited by the vision to develop world-changing products that Su “went for lunch and never left.” At Atheros, Su had a “front-row seat” developing wireless WAN technology that transitioned from novelty to necessity while Atheros grew from a startup to a billion-dollar behemoth. That little startup was eventually acquired by another company you may have heard of: Qualcomm. And what led Su to get involved with another startup? Well, lunch, of course. Su and his friends recognized that they could use their design experience to help fix a problem that was partially of their own making: battery consumption for wireless RF products. This was the genesis of Atmosic. With his decades of design experience, Su admits that he stands on the shoulders of giants when creating new low-power products. The company has recently expanded its RF IC offerings from Bluetooth to Zigbee and Matter over Thread. When asked how an IC design team knows when they have become either too structured or too unstructured, Su thoughtfully answered that if you never create anything innovative or your chips don’t work, you have probably fallen into one of those two ditches. You will want to join our host, Daniel Bogdanoff, as he discusses CMOS RF, energy harvesting, and the importance of teams with Su. They touch on many other interesting topics including: -What he remembers most fondly from his days at Atheros. -A development failure for one technology that led to success for another. -The balance of circuits, system, and software design necessary to optimize product performance.…

1
Can Silicon Photonics Solve the Bandwidth Bottleneck in AI Data Centers? 51:55

1 year ago51:55

51:55

Steve Klinger, Vice President of Product, joins the Moore’s Lobby podcast to discuss how LightMatter is using silicon photonics to improve speed and reduce power consumption in AI data centers. With two previous $1B+ startups under his belt, Klinger knows a thing or two about identifying successful technology solutions to current industry challenges. While compute performance continues to grow rapidly, interconnect has not been able to keep pace. In this episode, Klinger explains how LightMatter’s flagship product, Passage, creates a programmable optical fabric for the efficient interconnect of chiplets and other silicon ICs. Klinger explains that they are trying to solve the problem of efficiently accessing all of the bandwidth on one chip and sharing it with another chip. If they can improve the interconnect bandwidth density, it will allow performance scaling to continue increasing at the workload level. Klinger emphasizes, “There are data centers with hundreds of millions of dollars of GPUs sitting idle, waiting for the network topology or the interconnects to catch up.” So, join our host, Daniel Bogdanoff, in this deep dive into silicon photonics with Klinger. In this discussion, they address many fascinating topics, including: - What makes silicon photonics unique from traditional photonics? - The common traits shared by Klinger’s previous $1B+ startups. - The many job openings available at LightMatter.…

1
Freeing EEs to Design Like Tony Stark 55:06

1 year ago55:06

55:06

While leading the system design of new head-word displays for fighter pilots, Tomide Adesanmi was most excited when he got a chance to innovate. However, like most electronics design engineers, he found that the majority of his time was spent searching distributor sites for components, drawing symbols, and working with spreadsheets. Engineers can also relate to the anxiety he felt, worrying that he might have made a silly mistake by missing a tiny detail on “page 243 of the datasheet” for a microcontroller. So, he quit his job to try to tackle the mundane problems of design using “good software, good algorithms, and electronics.” A few months later, Circuit Mind was founded. Adesanmi and the Circuit Mind team aim to allow designers to quickly optimize designs with variable weighting on size, power, cost, parts availability, and more. Our Moore’s Lobby audience of electronics engineers will definitely want to listen in as our host, Daniel Bogdanoff, and Adesanmi chat about the possible future of circuit design. You will hear: -Why it is important that Circuit Mind uses deterministic algorithms as opposed to machine learning. -Defining the team and roles necessary to build these new tools. -What company makes the best datasheets? Contact Circuit Mind to schedule an appointment to learn more, get a demo, receive a quote, or even run a trial of your design on the ACE platform.…

1
Cooperation and Competition Behind the Scenes in the RISC-V Community 51:23

1 year ago51:23

51:23

Over the course of his fascinating career, Mark Himelstein has worked on several significant computing technologies at historic companies like MIPS and Sun Microsystems. He has also worked as a consultant in various roles that include architect, VP of engineering, and advisor. However, RISC-V may have a greater impact on the computing field and our world than any of those previous efforts. Himelstein gives us an insiders view on the open standard process that is often “cooperation and competition, simultaneously.” “The thing that keeps us as a community is the effort in the software ecosystem. Nobody wants to really go off and go on their own. They just don't want to do it. It's just too costly. I don't care if you're the biggest company in the world or the tiniest.” Listen in on this episode of the Moore’s Lobby podcast as Daniel Bogdanoff and Himelstein chat about a wide range of interesting topics that include: -How Himelstein encourages people to get involved with RISC-V by telling them to not just complain about something, but join in to help make it better. -The significance of vector operations for computing and how those advantages may soon be extended to matrix operations within the ISA. -Three major things RISC-V is currently working on for future release.…

1
At Silicon Labs, Wireless IoT is Only The First Step in Rethinking Product Design 56:24

1 year ago56:24

56:24

Daniel Cooley started his career in RF chip design at Silicon Labs and now leads technology and product development at “the number one wireless supplier” for the Internet of Things. In this thoughtful interview, Cooley explains why adding wireless connectivity is only the first step to completely rethinking product designs and features. He noted that “the home run cases aren't where wireless is the feature; it's where wireless made that product better.” Cooley explains that Silicon Labs’ primary goal is to help companies get started with their preferred wireless protocol quickly and efficiently so they can focus on their applications instead of trying to debug the wireless links. Silicon Labs’ experience was forged on having “cut our teeth selling more than a billion wireless chips over many, many years.” Our Moore’s Lobby host, Daniel Bogdanoff, chats with Cooley about a range of fascinating topics that include: -Building wireless products for “metal benders.” -The surprising economic benefits of adding wireless connectivity to shelf labels. -An explanation of the Matter protocol and why it is important. -The Silicon Labs partnership with Arduino. -Why the sky is falling…or at least the cloud is coming down. -Reflection on a major project and when Cooley “realized none of it was going to work.” -Why Cooley believes we will see a rethinking of the Internet infrastructure around non-human electronic devices.…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
Pragmatic Semi is Breaking the Rules and Bending Silicon Electronics 57:58

1 year ago57:58

57:58

While Moore’s Law scaling has driven incredible advancements in computing, AI, and smartphones, many applications don’t need or benefit from the most advanced semiconductor nodes. From its inception, Pragmatic Semiconductor’s goal has been to take a…well, pragmatic…approach to develop an ultra low-cost, fast cycle time alternative to traditional silicon processing. Oh, and did we mention that the resulting chips and wafers are also flexible? You will definitely want to check out this Moore’s Lobby conversation between White and our host, Daniel Bogdanoff, as they dive into: -The technology and manufacturing of thin-film silicon -Europe’s largest-ever VC funding for a semiconductor company -The potential advantages of flexible silicon for building a more robust supply chain -White’s top priorities for improving the flexible silicon ecosystem…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
State of the Industry: Semiconductor Insiders Discuss the Ambitions and Realities of the CHIPS Act 55:28

1 year ago55:28

55:28

The chip shortage made us all think about the precarious semiconductor supply chain. In response, the US government has moved to bolster the domestic industry. The CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law in August 2022, but we are still waiting to see its impact on US semiconductor manufacturing. In this podcast, we are joined by three industry insiders: Rich Simoncic, EVP of Microchip Technology. Russ Garcia, CEO of Menlo Micro. Michael Knight, President & CEO at Endries International. They will give us their perspective on the CHIPS Act and what should be done to improve the supply chain. In this engaging discussion, the group is hosted by our Moore’s Lobby host, Daniel Bogdanoff. Their discussion includes: -The confusing relationship between the CHIPS Act and the current state of the supply chain. -The challenges of getting advanced R&D across the “valley of death.” -Is it enough? -The technologies and nodes that might be overlooked. -What should a CHIPS Act 2 invest in?…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
Leading the RISC-V Revolution, SiFive Aims to Take the Computing Industry Throne 1:02:36

1 year ago1:02:36

1:02:36

During his fascinating career, Jack Kang has had the opportunity to work on iconic, massively successful products like the Microsoft Xbox Kinect and Nintendo Switch. Today, as one of the founding members of SiFive, Kang works alongside several of the creators of the RISC-V ISA to bring new products to market. SiFive is developing products based on the open RISC-V standard to deliver high-performance, low-power density processors for applications from wearables to data centers, edge computing, and aerospace. The highlights of this conversation between Kang and our Moore’s Lobby host, Daniel Bogdanoff, include: -His big career break -The transition from huge companies to a startup -Open-source versus open-standard -The security system that SiFive donated to the RISC-V community…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
Quantum Computing: Sci-Fi Technology Requires Real-World Engineering 55:52

1 year ago55:52

55:52

A decade after demonstrating the first entanglement of semiconducting spin quantum bits, or qubits, Oliver Dial and IBM Quantum are developing the ICs, cryogenic systems, error mitigation techniques, and software tools that will identify solutions to problems beyond the scope of classical computers. Recently, the IBM Quantum team announced the Heron 133-qubit and Condor 1,121-qubit quantum processors , and Dial joins us to talk about a subject that he loves. The highlights of this conversation between Dial and our Moore’s Lobby host, Daniel Bogdanoff, include: A comparison of quantum and classic Turing computing systems. Temperatures down to 0.1 kelvin (brrr!) to noise temperatures of 30,000 kelvin (hotter than the sun, but not really). An audio symphony of quantum circuits running computations from around the world. Qubits are probably much bigger than you would expect. Why packaging engineers are the unsung heroes of the semiconductor and quantum industries. Semiconductor engineers telling quantum engineers, “you guys are doing these all wrong.” The technology advance in the newer Heron processor that Dial is most excited about.…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
Energizing the Future: Real-Time Precision in Renewable Energy Management 58:17

1 year ago58:17

58:17

Optimizing energy generation and consumption requires accurately measuring currents and voltages. In addition, to maximize overall efficiency, that data must be shared in real-time or near real-time. The highlights of this conversation between Henrik Mannesson of Texas Instruments and host Daniel Bogdanoff include discussing: -The differences between power management in the home or small factory and power management at the grid. -The evolution from smart metering to energy management. -The importance of accuracy in power measurement and how to achieve it. -The benefits of staying with a single company for many years.…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
Stepping Outside the Metaverse to Discuss Next-Gen Hardware Development 59:55

1 year ago59:55

59:55

About three decades after the term “metaverse” was coined, Facebook rebranded as Meta as they increased their focus on building virtual and augmented reality platforms. Today, Agustya Mehta helps lead Meta’s development of the next generation of XR products in his role as their Director of System Platforms for Reality Labs Hardware. In this episode of the Moore’s Lobby podcast, Agustya and host Daniel Bogdanoff discuss building tomorrow’s AR/VR systems using today’s technology. Agustya also shared lessons learned along the way from working at several of the world’s leading tech companies including Apple and Microsoft.…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
Marveling at MEMS: The New Superheroes of The Silicon World 49:27

2 years ago49:27

49:27

Silicon transistors naturally get most of the attention. However, delicate silicon microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) with movements that are often measured in angstroms are making some noise of their own (metaphorically, because you won’t be able to hear those tiny vibrations!). By focusing in parallel on the MEMS device and the silicon processing required to build them, SiTime has been able to improve MEMS resonator performance “close to 100,000” times, says Fari Assaderaghi, EVP of Technology and Engineering at SiTime. Assaderaghi went on to state: “Timing is like an unsung hero that is behind the scenes, but its performance actually limits or enables certain performance characteristics that you see at the end systems.” Over his career, Fari learned many important lessons that he shares during this thoughtful interview. One of these is to “always go back to first principles.” He expounds on this by stating, “If you don't understand something, don't paper over it. Keep on digging.” He concludes with the warning, “There is no shortcut, and if the fundamental doesn't support it, eventually it's going to come and get you.” Assaderaghi also learned to focus on your ultimate goal rather than what you think is possible. “If you start with what you want to achieve...you would be surprised that eventually what you thought was not possible, actually it is possible.” Our Moore’s Lobby host, Daniel Bogndanoff, also discusses with Assaderaghi his fascinating personal journey. Over his career, Assaderaghi has had the pleasure of working alongside luminaries like Chenming Hu, the father of Finfets; Robert Dennard, the inventor of single-transistor DRAM; and Lisa Su, CEO of AMD. Other highlights from this interview include: -The unique SiTime culture that Fari credits to the CEO, Rajesh Vashist. -The importance of failure -The tuning of silicon’s mechanical properties, not just electrical That’s a wrap on Season 6 of Moore’s Lobby. We hope you have enjoyed hearing from these amazing guests as much as we have. Please tell us what you think in the comments or share your suggestions and requests for guests and topics for Season 7.…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
AI or 5G? EdgeQ Asks, “Why Not Both?” While Building a Wireless Base Station-on-a-Chip 53:54

2 years ago53:54

53:54

It all began with a love of mathematics. Adil Kidwai loved mathematics. That initially led him to a career focused on analog and RF design. After many years working on RF technology leading efforts in cellular communication, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, Adil had a chance to move into the AI field. When he started digging into AI, Kidwai had an epiphany. “I realized that AI borrowed a lot of concepts from information theory which were developed 50 years ago.” The mathematics of RF communication and artificial intelligence were basically identical: convolutions, matrix multiplication, nonlinear operations, and more. It was during this time that Kidwai met EdgeQ CEO and founder Vinay Ravuri for lunch, and it “just clicked”. Kidwai recalls that they were thinking exactly the same things about the relationships between AI and 5G. So, Kidwai joined EdgeQ, where they have developed an integrated circuit that leverages the customization capabilities of RISC-V to enable and optimize both AI and 5G. They believe that their “software-defined base station-on-a-chip” allows AI to complement 5G in some applications and 5G to complement AI in others. As Kidwai notes, “these two technologies support each other in the world that we are living in.” And, they already have their eye on 6G. In this Moore’s Lobby interview with our host Daniel Bogdanoff, Kidwai shares how different it was when moving from a behemoth like Intel to a startup. “You have to move like 100 mph on day one!…because it’s a question of existence all of a sudden.” Here are a few other highlights from this interview with Kidwai: -Think your master’s thesis was difficult? Wait until you hear what Kidwai had to accomplish at UCLA. -His reflections on spending several years in Munich working on Intel’s acquisition of Infineon’s wireless group. He even has some recommendations for people considering moving abroad. -The surprising changes in the wireless world Kidwai has seen in his decades working in the industry. There is much more, so go listen for yourself! Please tell us what you think in the comments. We would also love to hear your recommendations for the companies and people you would like to hear from in future episodes of Moore’s Lobby.…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
Getting Out of the Weeds with John Deere’s Revolutionary AI Technology 55:43

2 years ago55:43

55:43

Imagine 1500 laptops strapped to a 120 foot (36 m) wide sprayer being pulled behind a tractor. That gives you a rough understanding of the compute power inside the John Deere See & SprayTM that targets herbicide to the weeds, not the crops. These might be “the smartest agricultural machines in the world,” says Chris Padwick, Director of Computer Vision and Machine Learning at Blue River Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of John Deere. Padwick was not looking to return to his agricultural roots, but in a “shields down” moment” he was approached by a startup, Blue River Technology. He recalls being “completely blown away” by what they were doing in computer vision. After initially developing a product for lettuce thinning, Blue River pivoted to the problem of row crop weeding. In the US alone, the agricultural industry uses over 20 million gallons of herbicide annually, almost all of it through broadcast spreading across the entire field. Blue River set to work on changing the paradigm to only spray the weeds. According to Padwick, this “dot matrix printer for weeds” has the potential to “save 15 million gallons of herbicide” and “about a billion dollars.” In this episode of the Moore’s Lobby podcast, Padwick takes us behind the scenes to discuss the challenges of data collection in the fields, image classification, the compute technology that drives these real-time systems, and much more. On this business side, he reflects on the 2017 acquisition by John Deere and how important that was in their development of products at scale that can operate in rugged environments for two decades. “I feel like we're going to look back on farming in five or ten years and we're just going to be amazed…Precision spot spraying is going to be the way that people treat their crops going forward because it's going to allow them to save so much more chemical. And the sustainability in the environment is kind of unparalleled. So I really feel we're kind of at that inflection point for agriculture.” So, listen in on this fun interview as Padwick describes: - His graduate research into Big Bang cosmology and background radiation - Why he left engineering as an undergrad—seriously, universities we have to fix this outdated solution to engineering education! - Blue River’s global operations to collect crop and weed images to drive continuous improvement…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
VC-Backed Hardware Design Collaboration is the (All) Spice of Life 56:53

2 years ago56:53

56:53

In this unique episode of the Moore’s Lobby podcast, we get to hear from not only the technologists and executives behind the company but the investor who is helping them make their dreams a reality. As an electrical engineer, Chrissy Meyer had spent years working in product design on large projects at Apple, including the Apple iPod Nano and Touch. She is all too familiar with the outdated methods of hardware collaboration and design reviews—printed schematics, highlighters, and engineers huddled around a conference room table. According to Kyle Dumont, a first-time entrepreneur as Allspice CTO, their goal is centered “around making it easy to build a workflow and collaboration process for electronics designs.” In his earlier career working in hardware at both large and small companies, he also “became pretty frustrated with how difficult it was to collaborate on our electronics designs.” Valentina Ratner, CEO of Allspice, goes on to explain that the industry is “trying to build colonies in Mars, and I don't think we're going to get there with Google Sheets and PDFs and screenshots.” In her current role as a partner at Root Ventures investing in early-seed tech startups, the engineer inside Meyer had a “visceral” reaction when Ratner and Dumont explained their vision to bring Git-style collaboration software to the hardware world. Meyer explains that “there was never a doubt in my mind that this problem that they were describing was very real. Because the truth is I had lived it for 15 years.” Meyer said, “I had to take off my engineering hat for a quick second and say, okay, reign in the excitement. Yes, this is a fantastic product for an engineer. Is this a great investment?...the truth is, there are far fewer electrical engineers than there are software developers.” With the backing of Root Ventures, Ratner and Dumont founded Allspice and quickly got to work. As a first-time entrepreneur and CEO, Ratner admits that she had to learn a lot quickly because “there are just so many unknowns.” Reflecting on some early lessons, Ratner shares some interesting advice for fellow tech entrepreneurs: “It's less about convincing anyone and more about finding the people that already believe in the version of the world that you're trying to build.” Other highlights of this round-table discussion include: -Meyers’ belief that “'there's this common misconception that in order to approach VCs, you need to have a fully polished pitch deck, and you need a financial model and forecasts and projections.” -Insights on one of the favorite features of Allspice: the ability to run digital, asynchronous hardware design reviews -Where Meyer thinks hardware and software companies are going to win in the future…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

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Powering a Green Future: Insights from Infineon’s Peter Wawer 56:43

2 years ago56:43

56:43

Engineering careers, even very successful ones, don’t always progress in a nice orderly manner. In this episode of Moore’s Lobby, Peter Wawer, Division President of Green Industrial Power at Infineon Technologies, retraces a fascinating technical and business career that is still going strong. As a second-generation electrical engineer, the industry still excites him. Wawer says that electrical engineering is “a fascinating topic” that allows you to “innovate and develop things to the greater good.” In his encouragement to the next generation of engineers, he states that “it's very rewarding tackling the issues and the challenges that we face” in society today. Over the last decade, he has worked in power electronics at Infineon as they have invested and developed wide bandgap technology to serve important industries that are shaping our world: renewable energy, electrification, data centers, and more. In addition to his extensive work on multiple leading-edge technologies, Wawer has been inside just about every corporate transition you can imagine. These have ranged from spinoffs and billion-dollar acquisitions to bankruptcy and government-rejected purchases. When discussing major spinoffs like the creation of Infineon from Siemens, Wawer describes the “mixed” feelings within the company. Some view the larger company “as an advantage” by providing “more critical mass and more diversity.” While others see the benefits of a smaller company “being more focused.” Wawer got started in the nascent silicon PV industry during his graduate studies and early career at Siemens. Then, after a number of years working on embedded Flash, he moved back into the solar industry; a time that he describes as “big fun” with the industry really beginning to take off. In this Moore’s Lobby conversation with host Daniel Bogdanoff, Peter Wawer also discusses: -The history and differences between thin-film and thick-film solar -Why different semiconductor memory technologies—DRAM and Flash—are not fabricated in the same fabs -Unique characteristics of trench and planar silicon carbide MOSFETs -The performance and reliability challenges that impact power electronics beyond just the semiconductors…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

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Burning Man Maker, Music Mogul, and PCB Revolutionary—Flux CEO Matthias Wagner 1:00:06

2 years ago1:00:06

1:00:06

Matthias Wagner learned early in his career that not everything is like an engineering “marketing video…all so streamlined and perfect.” Sometimes you have to dive into a project with no documentation and no roadmap and “figure it out now.” That fearless, can-do attitude has led him on a circuitous and amazing route into, out of, and now back into the electronics world where he is leading Flux as they try to remake the PCB design flow. While others have previously tried and failed, Wagner recognized that many of these were “too small of dreams to make any meaningful change…you just need to start from scratch.” And yeah, that's scary. And it's a lot of work, don't get me wrong, it's very hard. But then what else were you going to do with your time that was worthwhile? One of Wagner’s career pivots was out of the electronics industry and into the music industry. In this fascinating interview, Wagner reflects on that decision and states, “that was a really dumb idea at the time, but I made it work.” And, boy, did he ever! During his foray into the music industry, Wagner’s work sold over 1 billion units across the globe and was honored with platinum and gold records. His song, Axel F by Crazy Frog , has nearly 3.8 billion (yes, billion with a b) views on YouTube. And we haven’t even mentioned his experiences developing energy systems for Burning Man that then lead to working at Facebook on products with billions of users. You will just have to listen to hear about those. And, after listening to this episode, you might be inspired to “give yourself permission to dream big dreams.” Other highlights from this Moore’s Lobby interview with Matthias Wagner include: -Why hardware engineers are jealous of software developers -The competition between hard core gamers and general users when developing Oculus -What the PCB and electronics industry can learn from developments in the music industry -Learning how to run a business by NOT running a business…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
From Apple to OpenLight: Silicon Photonics and Integrated Lasers with Dr. Tom Mader 41:04

2 years ago41:04

41:04

I’ll bet that you didn’t know that the original concept for what became the Apple Thunderbolt interface involved optical communication. Well, in this fascinating podcast with Dr. Mader, you will learn that intriguing backstory and much more. Mader also provides a helpful introduction to silicon photonics technology and applications. Importantly, OpenLight’s business model is designed to allow them to become an Arm-like IP provider for silicon photonics. “We’re the first open siliconics platform that has the lasers and amplifiers integrated on the chip,” explains Mader. With the OpenLight Process Design Kit (PDK), customers can integrate InP lasers and amplifiers directly into their silicon IC designs at Tower Semiconductor. While the silicon can be employed to guide, modulate, and detect light, you need the InP to amplify. OpenLight literally brings the silicon and the InP together with molecular bonding. While silicon photonic is already making inroads in a number of important applications, Mader is “excited about the long tail of applications” enabled by OpenLight and their customers. In addition, Mader recounts his rich technology background that includes developing a patent while interning at Apple, being involved in an early Amazon commercial product, directing engineering at a startup that was inquired by Intel, and his family connections to the legendary Fairchild Semiconductor and our podcast’s name inspiration, Gordon Moore. So, listen in for other interesting tidbits from this discussion with Mader, including these technical insights: -A clear description of a silicon photonics system -What makes a quality integrated laser? -How amplitude modulation (AM) and phase modulation (PM) are employed is laser systems…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

1
Synopsys’ Stelios Diamantidis Is Bringing the Magic of AI To Chip Design 1:01:18

2 years ago1:01:18

1:01:18

“It’s a magical world.” After several decades in the chip design industry, Stelios Diamantidis might be just as fascinated by the work he gets to do today as when he saw his first computer as a child growing up in Greece. Inspired by the success of computers and AI systems in defeating humans in strategy games like chess and Go, Diamantidis wondered, “what if we were to one day be able to treat chip design as a game, a very complex game?” Armed with that question, Diamantidis and his Synopsys colleagues got to work. Eventually, that led to their DSO.ai (design space optimization using AI) product. As Diamantidis explains in the interview, they started on smaller challenges in the IC design flow and have expanded over the past few years. “I'm extremely excited that this…technology has provided a framework for all of them, no exceptions so far, to actually come up with great solutions.” When discussing IC design optimization, Dimantidis states, “everybody has their own definition of the problem.” CPU designers want to optimize speed, GPU designers are focused on reducing energy consumption, and flash memory designers “are very paranoid about size because they're going to manufacture tens or hundreds of millions of units.” In this Moore’s Lobby interview with host Daniel Bogdanoff, Diamantidis shares his experiences at an early pioneering tech company working with “some of the most remarkable folks I’ve ever met” while solving problems that were “the stuff of science fiction.” He also shares insights from founding two different EDA technology companies of his own. Here are a few other interesting stories and anecdotes from this fascinating interview with Diamantidis: -How some life decisions come down to snow versus palm trees -About how budding computer programmers in Greece used to share their code through a print magazine—our younger audience might find that hard to believe -What Jurassic Park, US President Bill Clinton, and Stelios’ early dreams have in common -It’s not really what you miss, but what you don't know you miss There is much more, so go listen for yourself!…

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

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Seeing the Big Picture of Vehicle Electrification with Texas Instrument’s Fern Yoon 59:36

2 years ago59:36