Ranjith Sajja

Qualcomm, king of mobile, with a natural focus on inference at scale, focuses on offline model parameter weight compression after pre-training. Also spelled out is the industry standardization efforts around this weight compression with major players on-board. "MxFP, defined by the Microscaling Formats (Mx) Alliance, is enabled on DL2q instance of AWS EC2 and is evaluated on several large language models. ... Earlier this year, AMD, Arm, Intel Corporation, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. formed the Microscaling Formats (MX) Alliance with the goal of creating and standardizing next-generation 6- and 4-bit data types for AI training and inferencing. ... The initial MX specification introduces four concrete floating point and integer-based data formats (MXFP8, MXFP6, MXFP4, and MXINT8) that are compatible with current AI stacks, support implementation flexibility across both hardware and software, and enable fine-grain microscaling at the hardware level. ... One of the primary intentions of MX is to allow vendors to build more power and area efficient hardware for both inference and training accelerators. This is a long-term goal, however, a short-term benefit of this standard and the associated data science is that weights and activations can be "direct cast" (compressed / quantized) into these formats post-training to address the issues described above." https://lnkd.in/giN8SzZB

How will AI impact and enable the semiconductor industry and what jobs exist in semiconductor industry ? Listen to this brief chat with Data &AI expert Lekhana Reddy on salaries and more.. Where do you see AI impacting the semiconductor industry...would love to hear your thoughts below 👇🏾 https://lnkd.in/gb7rhvFH #semiconductorindustry #semiconductorsalaries #data hashtag #ai hashtag #genai

6

BREAKING: A POTENTIAL Qualcomm-Intel MERGER COULD Reshape the Semiconductor Industry Amid Intel's Struggles. US network CNBC has confirmed that Qualcomm recently approached Intel Corporation about a possible takeover. While it remains unclear if Intel has engaged in formal discussions or what the terms might be, this potential merger—if it goes through—could rank among the most significant tech deals in history, with Intel’s market cap exceeding US $90 billion. Once the global leader in chipmaking, Intel has experienced a steady decline, a situation exacerbated in 2024. The company reported disappointing earnings earlier this year, triggering the largest single-day stock drop in over five decades. Intel shares have plummeted 53% year-to-date as investors question its costly strategy to manufacture and design its own chips. This contrasts sharply with Qualcomm’s more asset-light approach, which relies on partners like TSMC Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Samsung Semiconductor for production. Intel’s efforts to bounce back include a bold $100 billion investment plan to expand its foundry business over the next five years, but the firm has struggled to capitalize on the booming artificial intelligence (AI) market. NVIDIA, not Intel, has claimed more than 80% of the rapidly growing AI chip market, especially for systems like ChatGPT. Qualcomm, despite generating less revenue than Intel in 2023 (US $35.8 billion vs. $54.2 billion), might see the potential for a broader market share and technical synergies from a merger, particularly in the AI space and computing. Boardroom Moves & Strategic Delays Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has recently sought to reassure employees of the company’s long-term vision, emphasizing its commitment to the foundry business. However, in a significant update, Intel also announced the delay of its Magdeburg project in Germany—a cornerstone of Europe's semiconductor manufacturing ambitions—pausing construction for two years. A Qualcomm-Intel merger, however, wouldn’t come without hurdles. Both companies have faced antitrust scrutiny in the past, especially from Chinese regulators. Intel’s failed bid for Tower Semiconductor and Qualcomm's blocked attempt to acquire NXP Semiconductors are cautionary tales of how international regulatory frameworks can derail deals. The national security landscape also looms large—Broadcom's $100 billion bid to acquire Qualcomm was blocked in 2018 by the Trump administration over concerns about foreign ownership. Similarly, Nvidia’s attempted purchase of Arm was shelved in 2022 following pressure from regulators in multiple regions. What is ahead? Both companies have declined to comment, but the stakes are clear: A successful merger would signal a dramatic realignment of power in an industry critical to everything from consumer electronics to defence technologies. And what about the impact on photonics? #Qualcomm #Intel #Mergers #AI #NationalSecurity #Chipmaking #Nvidia #TSMC

169

7 Comments

Abhinav K.! Yeah, India's semiconductor industry is experiencing an unprecedented boom, driving billions in investments and fueling numerous startups. Semiconductors are the backbone of countless disciplines, underpinning our technological advancements. Concurrently, research and development in quantum technologies and space technologies are also accelerating. However, true technological progress demands interdisciplinary collaboration. By breaking down silos and fostering cross-departmental synergy, we can achieve even greater innovations. Let's work together to harness the full potential of these cutting-edge fields. https://lnkd.in/g4ng3Jpb India Semiconductor Mission QET Council of India (Quantum Ecosystems and Technology Council of India) India Electronics and Semiconductor Association India Semiconductor Mission Semiconductor Nation - Campus Connect #Semiconductors #QuantumTech #SpaceTech #IndiaTech #Innovation

22

1 Comment

My Last Day at Synopsys - after 17 Years being together! Wishing you a Very Happy New Year 2025! After an excellent and successful tenure with Synopsys for 17 years, it is time to part my ways. I started my Journey at Synopsys as an Application Engineer I in Jan 2008 and in Jan 2025 I am leaving Synopsys as a Sr. Director It was a journey fueled with Learnings, Innovation, Initiatives, opportunities, technical leadership, people management, account management, collaborations(internal/external), agility, travelling, hiring, MBOs, Business Goals, Decision Making, Broader Perspective, Team Building, Presentation, Driving Programs, Structured communication/execution and many more, but at the same time going beyond to: stretching over weekends, customer focus, Technical excellence, work life balance, bold decisions, adapt on changing needs, drive most challenging/critical requirements, day/night calls and many more.. It has been a rewarding journey not only from monetization perspective but also it is a journey which has shaped me who I am today! It has been a journey where I got to play different responsibilities: Application Engineer, R&D Engineer, APAC Product lead, Develop/Drive Horizontal (Engagement) Team, Vertical Account ownership and many stories that made me earn the role as a Sr. Director! As I look back It is a journey filled with Innovation in the Synthesis/P&R domain of Chip Design and Leadership roles - I have taken daring decisions to do somethings OOTB and believe that will drive success which lead to : Success, Business Growth, Innovation, visibility, trust within the team both upper/lower levels you work for, becoming the goto person, getting the most complex problem/situations to tackle,… I have learnt over time that working on processes can help productivity and been a big advocator/implementer of the same I have learnt and advocated as Engineers we need to Engineer looking beyond just tasks that one is assigned and that is where initiatives comes which is the core to drive innovation, we need to constantly learn, evolve and differentiate I have learnt to collaborate with multiple teams which actually is a great way to manage collectively to reach to common goals faster and effectively I have learnt that each individual have its own strengths but as a leader it is important to bring ones strengths and provide the right opportunity - By doing so as a unit you see that you have happy and bright minds demonstrating nothing less than excellence I am grateful to Synopsys for all the opportunity it has provided to me and the trust the leaders/people at Synopsys has shared with me! Thank You Synopsys! You have a special place in my heart and a family to me! Wishing all the best and success! #Synopsys #LastWorkingDay #PhysicalDesign #R2G

480

168 Comments

My article on SuperComputing Architecture Shift in EFY's Aug Magazine. "The silicon chipset, which is procured from Intel as of today, is the most crucial component in the high-performance compute server. Everything involved in making a supercomputer like the motherboard, the rack, cooling systems, and the software stack, depends on the architecture and features of the silicon chipset. " Electronics For You #Aum #Supercomputing #HPC

151

4 Comments

Intel released the 2023-24 Corporate Responsibility report, and I couldn't be prouder of the progress we have made towards our 2030 RISE (Responsible, Inclusive, Sustainable, and Enabling technology) goals. At Intel India, we made big strides in the areas of skilling in AI, VLSI design and STEM, advancing gender diversity, and sustainability (net positive water as a site for the 3rd year in a row), renewable energy use, sustainable computing (reference designs & technologies to lower carbon footprint) and community development through the expertise and passion of our employees.  #iamintel #Sustainability #CorporateResponsibility Read the top takeaways of Intel’s Corporate Responsibility report >

110

2 Comments

𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑺𝑻𝑴32 𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅 ?  I have a range of evaluation boards from all well known semiconductor companies including NxP , ST, Nuvoton, TI , Microchip, Broadcom, Nordic, NVIDIA etc. That was part of my investment. I got loaner boards from ST, NxP and Nuvoton. I used following parameters to decide evaluation board : 1: 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 I have used ST devices around 1998 as well. 2: 𝙍𝙤𝙖𝙙𝙢𝙖𝙥 : They have a range of products in various domains 3: 𝘾𝙤𝙨𝙩: It is most important factor and their boards are available in Arduino range as well. 4: 𝙀𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢 : They have a variety of tools for Pin multiplexing, Flash programming, Debugging and even for AI. 5: 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 :  I never had issue in contacting ST Marketing , Development , FAE and distributor FAEs . In fact , now my student is also supporting ST devices in India. I was invited for a combined session with faculty as well. 6: 𝙅𝙤𝙗 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 : Since STM32 is based on ARM and being widely used in India. It increases your possibility to get job. Here is outcome of my experience with ST device. This week was little bit interesting in embedded system live sessions. 1: Enabled one US based student in the STM32 evaluation board which I never used. It was done in live session. We supported multiple devices in past but it was instant support over live session. 2: Yesterday also another US based student shared board over camera. We started with default HAL project to do sanity check. First surprise was warning " Obsolete board" . We ignored and continued . Next surprise was "Insufficient flash memory" even with default configuration. This was because it had enabled all peripherals. I asked student to put while(1); in the beginning. Linker was kind enough to discard all other code and we could reach at main() at least. This was simple but important for student to move ahead. Both above students are working professionals in US and joined Embedkari for a refresh cycle. For joining Embedkari, no shubh muhurt is required because every moment is part of God's creation 😀 ... Join anytime . and #salarybadhao #microcontroller #microcontrollers #embedded #embeddedsystem #embeddedlinux #embeddedc #freertos #firmware #firmwareengineer #firmwarejobs #devicedriver #softwareengineers #electronics #embeddedjobs #embeddedsystems #embeddedengineer #embedkari #opentowork #freshers #stm32

8

Tackling Data Retention in SSDs (by Anil Burra from Intelligent Memory) 🤩 "SSDs have conquered the market due to their speed, durability, energy efficiency, and small form factor. However, write endurance and data retention are concerns in #embedded and #industrial applications, especially as the technology moves to ever smaller nodes." (Anil Burra) With the scaling of #NAND #flash #technology to higher densities (e.g., Triple-Level-Cell or Quad Level-Cell) and smaller process nodes, data retention becomes more challenging due to increased cell-to-cell interference and reduced margins for charge storage. Therefore, newer #technologies may have shorter specified data retention periods compared to older, more robust #SLC (Single-Level-Cell) or #MLC (Mul ti-Level-Cell) #NAND products. Two key factors affect data retention, the period over which #flashmemory can store #data without loss or corruption, in #NANDflash cells: program/erase (P/E) cycling and operating temperature. A very big thank you to Anil Burra from Intelligent Memory for this insightful article via Electronic Specifier Ltd with more background and insights via the link below 💡🙏👇 - A very good read to an important TOPIC 🤩 https://lnkd.in/eqdH7-N2 #semiconductorindustry #semiconductormanufacturing #innovation #it #ai #ssd #datastorage #automotiveindustry #embeddedsystems #ic #computer #computing #iot #memory #chip #chips #technology #tech

50

1 Comment

“Make in India” strategy now adds “Make Silicon in India” - Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s time to lead the 'Silicon Diplomacy' has arrived. - “When the chips are down, you can bet on India… India is set to play a big role in driving the global semiconductor industry,” - PM Modi said the government has made special efforts to ensure it provides not just financial incentives (with central govt offer 50% financial support for setting up semiconductor manufacturing facilities) to companies investing in semiconductors, but also gives them ease of doing business. - With India’s electronics sector touching over $150 billion in revenue, the PM outlined a larger goal to grow this to $500 billion by 2030 - Actions are already taking place, Tata group to build First mega silicon manufacturing facility in Dholera, Gujarat in partnership with Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) with Indian engineers are already undergoing training by PSMC All the best #GOI for the full swung initiative , looking forward to see India’s contribution to Global semiconductor demands.

16

In the fiercely competitive semiconductor industry, companies are in a constant battle to retain top talent because in the heart of every good engineer is a passionate problem solver, looking for their next challenge. For them, innovation is the currency of success. Yet companies like Qualcomm, Intel, and Broadcom attract tens of thousands every year by dangling lucrative compensation packages to lure them from competitors. Startup leaders don’t have those resources, so they have to work harder to attract the best talent and then fight like hell to retain them. But some of the most successful startup leaders I know take a different approach. Rather than viewing attraction and retention as a fight, they leverage the inherent qualities of their companies as their advantage. They use their nimbleness, bias toward innovation, and their collaborative cultures like superpowers to attract the right people and those usually end up being the reasons why people stay. Take Richard Fung, CEO of The Six Semiconductor, for example. I had a conversation with Richard and asked him to share his approach to motivating his team. His response was like a mini-masterclass on the topic of talent attraction and retention. Richard emphasized that a culture that encourages engineers to dive deep into the intricacies of their craft, understand the systems they’re building, and connect with the end customer is a successful culture. Richard has been using this approach and it's been paying dividends for The Six Semiconductor so in his honor, here are his six key concepts for creating this type of organization: 1. Foster a Learning Culture: Support ongoing learning and skill development beyond employees' core responsibilities. 2. Prioritize Customer Focus: Embed a customer-centric mindset, and encourage employees to enhance user experiences through their work. 3. Champion Problem-Solving: Empower employees to creatively solve challenges with a focus on customer needs. 4. Promote System-Level Understanding: Encourage employees to grasp the bigger picture of the company's offerings and their role within it. 5. Break Down Silos: Promote collaboration to ensure a comprehensive understanding of projects across teams. 6. Offer Meaningful Challenges: Provide intellectually stimulating projects that make a tangible impact on the company's success. What Richard highlighted is that success goes much deeper than getting great people to join. It's about unleashing the full potential of every individual on your team to drive innovation and help shape the company, and ensuring your team heads in the right direction together. I’m thrilled I got to learn Richard’s perspective and believe other leaders can benefit from hearing it, so I shared the video below. My "challenge question" to other startup leaders is this: what are you doing to foster this type of culture in your organization? Either share below or, feel free to DM me. #semiconductorindustry #startup #leadership

67

2 Comments

In my two decades of recruiting, I've rarely seen the investment in hardware startups like that surrounding AI. Its rapid rise has brought many newcomers vying to make compute more efficient. But, this makes it tough for customers to separate the "signal from the noise". The harsh reality is that some offer little more than concepts—essentially, vaporware. This undermines years of work by patent-holding researchers but it’s the operating reality for startups like Ayar Labs, whose collective time invested in R&D can be measured in centuries rather than decades. What started in 2015 as the brainchild of Professor Milos Popovic, Alex Wright-Gladstein, and five eminent researchers soon evolved into a company that showed immense promise for integrating photonics and processors to accelerate computing. They took a deliberate path, ignoring hungry VCs and choosing strategic investors like GlobalFoundries, Intel, and Applied Materials, allowing them to focus on advancing their technology and mission. Under their first commercial CEO Charlie Wuischpard, he led them to a key design win in 2022 that fueled investor confidence and resulted in an additional $130M in funding. But if you ask any photonics engineer or architect, they’ll tell you using this technology to accelerate computing is BRUTAL. Combining photons and electrons requires a Herculean level of precision and deep insight into physics and engineering. Recognizing this, Ayar’s Board looked within and tapped co-founder and Chief Scientist Mark Wade to be their new CEO in 2023. This was a stroke of brilliance. Not only has Mark helped shepherd the company through their most painstaking technical developments, but he’s also been an evangelist for optical interconnectivity, attending what seems like every top conference to share its potential. Under Mark, Ayar has progressed to have not one, but two revenue-generating products and they’re shipping tens of thousands. BUT (and excuse me for framing it that way) in our industry, you’ve got to be in the “hundred million club” to make it; frankly, the clock is ticking and competitors are circling. Ayar turns ten next year and the game has changed. That AI gold rush I mentioned has made it harder to get in front of customers with a salient value proposition, and the same goes for attracting talented engineers and leaders. Those we recruit are leery of startups making big claims. My advice to Mark and the rest of the team is to go BIG or go HOME. Secure the next round of funding and expand the team swiftly and holistically. Do an entire team lift-out! You’ll save time and accelerate faster through a group with proven synergy rather than hiring piecemeal. I’ve said it before: 2025 is primed to be the year photonics revolutionizes the data center so make your moves now because you don’t want to be left on the sidelines when all the key players have already been picked. #semiconductorindustry #photonics #artificialintelligence

71

3 Comments

Here is some update on October batch. This batch has working professionals from IoT, Android, Semiconductor , Embedded software, Application engineering , Hardware design, CDAC, MS etc background. We had done multiple successful workshops so far : Those who joined early , they got 10 days C practice session - 10hours Sept 28: Learn C SPMW -4 hours Sept 29th : Embedded C with 8051 --2.5 hours Oct 2: Linker script , startup part 1 -- 4hours Oct 6: Thumb Programming - 3 hours Regular ARM bare metal sessions - 4 hours These workshops have covered one major part of regular developer kit agenda. Oct 14- to -Oct20 - Project work and C practice Oct 21- Review of Project assignment submitted Oct 22: Further ARM bare-metal lessons I know that many of these candidates had to go extra-mile considering their working schedule . We also spent time more than 25 hours mentioned in regular developer kit and will continue till month end. Then these students will get additional pre-recorded online courses. We are now preparing for our Nov batch . Early joiners will be benefited for sure. 𝘿𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜? 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚. Gary Ryan Blair #embedded with #embedkari #opentowork

17

1 Comment

Qualcomm's new forecasts after Investor Day met with a lack of the enthusiasm from the market https://lnkd.in/gztNti_y Qualcomm owned the smartphone market and that showed in the valuations however as per this report "Qualcomm plans to significantly move beyond the smartphone segment and aims for 50% of its business exposure to be in segments other than smartphones by 2030" which may sound exciting to some, but given how dominant Qualcomm had been in smartphone market, the above move changed it from "a sure thing" to "selling into lots of uncertainty"

10

1 Comment

L&TSemiconductor Technologies Expands with Strategic #Acquisition of #SiliConch Systems Larsen & Toubro Ltd., the renowned engineering and infrastructure conglomerate, announced a significant move on Tuesday: its wholly-owned subsidiary, L&T Semiconductor Technologies Ltd., has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire a 100% stake in SiliConch Systems Pvt. Ltd. #Strategic #Investment in the Future The acquisition involves an upfront payment of ₹133 crore, with an additional deferred payment of ₹50 crore spread over four years, contingent upon meeting specific targets and conditions. This brings the total acquisition cost to ₹183 crore. #Enhancing Capabilities and Expertise This strategic acquisition is expected to bolster L&T Semiconductor Technologies’ capabilities significantly. By incorporating SiliConch Systems, L&T aims to enhance its Intellectual Property (#IP) portfolio, engineering skillsets, and design expertise. This move is perfectly aligned with L&T Semiconductor Technologies’ growth strategy, particularly in the highly competitive and evolving fabless semiconductor industry. Driving Growth and #Innovation L&T’s acquisition of SiliConch Systems underscores its commitment to innovation and growth in the semiconductor sector. By integrating advanced IP and design proficiency, L&T is poised to strengthen its market presence and drive forward its ambition to be a leader in semiconductor technology. Reference: https://lnkd.in/gdBf2_ts

22

1 Comment

Tessolve, a leading semiconductor engineering solutions provider, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire German chip design firm Dream Chip Technologies in a deal valued up to ₹400 crore. This acquisition strengthens Tessolve’s global footprint and enhances its capabilities in delivering end-to-end, turnkey design solutions for advanced chips, particularly in System on Chip (SoC) applications across the AI, automotive, data center, and industrial sectors. As part of this acquisition, Tessolve will add four new delivery centers in Germany and the Netherlands, including a specialized Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and imaging center of excellence. Srini Chinamilli, Tessolve’s CEO, highlighted that this deal positions Tessolve among the few global design firms with comprehensive capabilities to tackle complex ASIC design projects. Jens Benndorf, CEO of Dream Chip, noted that the combined strengths of Dream Chip’s design IP and Tessolve’s established services will enable fully integrated solutions, from chip architecture to post-silicon testing and supply chain management. This collaboration aims to drive innovation, especially in camera-based and AI-driven ASIC applications. In parallel, reports indicate that Hero Electronix, a key stakeholder in Tessolve, may sell a 25-30% stake in the company, though Hero remains committed as a long-term majority shareholder. Thanks again to The Economic Times for the full article with more background and insights click the source link in the comments below 💡 🙏👇 #Semiconductors #ChipDesign #Acquisition #TechInnovation #AI #ADAS #AutomotiveTech #SoC #ASIC #DataCenter #SemiconductorIndustry #Tessolve #DreamChip

247

3 Comments

This news will create a seismic shift in the industry across the world. 😶 ⚡ ⚡ 🔥 🔥 Intel’s loss of brand value over the years can be attributed to missed technological trends, with companies like AMD and TSMC surpassing them in innovation. Leadership instability and delays in adopting smaller manufacturing nodes further weakened their position. Lack of diversification beyond its core CPU business contributed to Intel’s decline in market dominance. Qualcomm acquiring Intel would be a significant shift, potentially redefining the tech landscape. However, I believe this acquisition will hardly happen. Share your thoughts. #TechIndustry #Intel #Qualcomm #Innovation #MarketDominance Link to article: https://lnkd.in/g8MTVgyq

28

4 Comments

Founding a startup is painstakingly difficult and requires intestinal fortitude that very few people possess and the amount of guts it takes to leave a fruitful career in technical leadership at a top semiconductor company to start a new one is where Vivek Raghunathan can teach a powerful lesson about his journey to becoming co-founder of Xscape Photonics Inc From my years of experience, I’ve found that technical founders are “forged” by their passion for engineering, experience in the industry, and their drive to solve big problems and Vivek’s role as CEO is a chapter in a story that’s decades in the making... Vivek worked for some industry stalwarts such as AMD, Intel and later, Rockley. Then, the breakthrough came when he joined Broadcom as a cornerstone of their Silicon Photonics Founding team where his trajectory soared. He drove technology development that spanned every component for co-packaging optics with switches and co-authored 15 patents in three years, cementing his status in the industry. While at Broadcom, he met three prominent professors from Columbia University – Alexander Gaeta, Keren Bergman, and Michal Lipson – who had identified a solution to the problem of escape bandwidth that’s critical for scaling AI performance in datacenters. There was a revelation that a revolution was on the horizon, one he wanted to lead. Hooked by their innovation, knew he wanted to help commercialize it and in 2022 they agreed to drive the company forward with Vivek as CEO. After years of dedication, Vivek had the right core team and technology to bet BIG on. Fast forward two years, and at OCP, Xscape came out of stealth with a $44M Series A funding announcement, reflecting not only his commitment to take the company to the next level but to also deliver a key solution at the most critical time – this rapid rise of AI. Now, Xscape faces the challenge of scaling their team, competing against giants in the realm of AI hardware like NVIDIA, Google, and others. Attracting engineers – many of whom are risk-averse by nature –  to a startup can be tough but this is where Xscape has a unique advantage: Vivek took that leap. My encouragement to Xscape is to leverage his journey to inspire others. Talk about it with potential candidates early in the process so they know not only WHO is at the helm, but WHY. After all, people don’t just go to work for companies, they go to work for people. Companies that show they have a mission that extends beyond making money are able to attract the elite engineers who are fueled by passion and purpose and will stay the course, displaying the same intestinal fortitude Vivek and the founding team have displayed. When the going gets rough, maintaining focus on the mission and having a collective commitment to succeed at all costs separates startups that go the distance from those that “also ran”. #semiconductorindustry #photonics #artificialintelligence

26