Vikram Rao

[Robert Wachen @robertwachen]

We're at the biggest compute inflection point in history. Etched is moving faster than ever.

I'm incredibly grateful for our team. We've poured our lives into Etched for three years. It's hard to believe how far we've come and harder to believe how far we must go.

There's no better time to join us. We're just getting started.

[Gavin Uberti @UbertiGavin]

Seeing our A0 silicon and first-gen racks come to life has been the experience of a lifetime. It takes a village - I am so proud to be working alongside @robertwachen @czhu1729 @saptadeep_pal and our world-class team to do what many thought was impossible.

We think our Low-Voltage Inference (LVI) and Cluster-Scale Memory (CSM) tech will help bring down the cost of inference for the world, all while using less power. But there’s still much to do on next-generation products - if you like solving hard problems, join us!

[Patrick OShaughnessy @patrick_oshag]

Three years ago, two Harvard dropouts set out to build a better AI chip than the largest companies in the world.

Almost everyone I called at the time said it was impossible.

Today, Etched (@Etched) comes out of stealth with $800M total raised, $1B in signed customer contracts, and a working next-gen AI chip.

This was my excuse to ask the two founders, @UbertiGavin and @robertwachen, every question I have about compute and inference.

We discuss:
- Why they built an entire rack and not just a chip
- The two technical bets behind their architecture no one else has tried
- How two founders in their twenties recruited industry legends
- The night they nearly ran out of money
- Why whoever produces the most tokens wins

If you care about the future of compute, Gavin and Rob are two people to know. I think you will find the story of what they have built hard to forget.

Enjoy!

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
1:00 Why Nobody Believed Etched Would Work
14:06 Why Inference Is the Bottleneck
22:27 Gavin and Rob’s Origin Stories
33:24 Taking Huge Risks to Move Faster
49:43 Kernels, Compilers, and the AI Stack
1:02:08 Raising $100M to Survive
1:16:00 The Future of Models, Agents, and Intelligence

[Etched @Etched]

We're coming out of stealth.

We've built our first racks after a successful A0 tapeout, $1B+ in customer contracts, and $800m raised.

Early customer tests show us achieving SOTA throughput, latency, and power efficiency on inference workloads.

Our first racks ship this summer.

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@Mugiwara_23 Burgess?

[Astera Labs @AsteraLabs]

Astera Labs’ new Fabric Switch portfolio for the AI era – meet Scorpio! Scorpio Smart Fabric Switches are purpose-built to tackle the significant challenges faced when deploying cloud-scale #AI platforms at accelerated pace and scale. Learn more: https://t.co/2o6H4HrKkP

[Astera Labs @AsteraLabs]

We are thrilled to celebrate Astera Labs’ entry into the public markets with @Nasdaq!

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@Geo_AW DoFlamingo.

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@wtf1official @EASPORTSF1 Spa, PS5

[ONE PIECE(ワンピース) Netflix @onepiecenetflix]

The COPE is over it’s finally here! Welcome to the world of the ONE PIECE live action. We can’t wait for you to meet our Straw Hat crew. Eiichiro Oda’s epic masterpiece is about to come to life like never before! ONE PIECE sets sail on Augusts 31st. #TUDUM

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@PicturesFoIder This is also a good example of Mediterranean climate

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@MattP1Tommy Allow refueling but not with tire change at the same time

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@ONEPIECESPOILE1 This means Sflamingo not Doflaimingo

[Astera Labs @AsteraLabs]

New article from @TheNextPlatform: "CXL from promise to reality with real silicon on customer platforms." Read more here: https://t.co/FaqZ3GJicY
#CXL #ComputeExpressLink #CXLConsortium #AI #ML

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@wtf1official Turkey

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@JujutsuTwts Naruto

[Astera Labs @AsteraLabs]

CXL 1.1. Memory Pooling is now a reality! Stop by booth B11 today at OCP to see the industry’s first live memory pooling demo, with reduced memory stranding, optimized memory pooling and reduced total cost of ownership. #ocpsummit22 #CXL

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@obvbiko Bleach although it had the best arc of the three

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@elonmusk One before the camera clicks

[Vikram Rao @tviktter]

@SkySportsF1 Fernando Alonso