Vivek Mehra

COMPUTEX TAIPEI = AI = Scaled Compute = Co-Packaged Optics Interconnect = RANOVUS Inc. @ Taiwan Today's GPU providers scaleout their Compute with copper interconnect technologies which limits their capacity. I had the opportunity to share some of our achievements and roadmap items with the COMPUTEX TAIPEI/InnoVEX audience around the next generation of Compute scaleout technologies this week. With the introduction of UALink (scaleout) and UltraEthernet (scaleup) standard groups, the industry is poised to bring high bitrate Ethernet connectivity (100/200/400Gbps per lane) as the backbone of the AI hardware infrastructure. https://lnkd.in/gHcrKPGa #SIP #CPO #AI #GPU #scaleout #scaleup

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During yesterday's LibreQoS APNIC webinar, I posed the question: won't more bandwidth solve these problems? As Herbert Wolverson said, yes, more bandwidth is good, but, still these problems remain if queueing is done incorrectly. Here's my take on why bandwidth alone is not as good as bandwidth + good queueing policies: Generally it was believed that 'data is important, so don't throw it away; hang on to it and send it later'. In practice, this has proven to be suboptimal as two issues may emerge: 1) latency increases for some flows due to heavy demand from other flows using the same bottleneck link, 2) even a single flow can have excessive latency due to aspects of typical TCP behavior (referred to bufferbloat) when the buffers grew large enough that the data being buffered was retransmitted anyway. It turns out that not all data is equally important. Active Queue Management is the art of deciding priorities, both in deciding what data to throw away, but also in allowing some later arriving data to be transmitted ahead of data in another connection that arrived before it. These problems have been studied, and good solutions have been found by using certain queueing policies in routers and switches, referred to as “fq_codel’ and “cake”. These track the different flows not by classifying the data, but by watching the behavior. Flows that send relatively little data (DNS lookups), or at a measured pace (video chat) have priority over flows that send a lot of data as quickly as possible (App and System updates, Video and ISO downloads).

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This is quite a piece on accusations of unethical pay-to-play within the #cyber #VC ecosystem. -Guaranteed first-year sales for portfolio companies -Formal loyalty program for CISOs -Points awarded within the program for CISO commitment level to portfolio companies (meetings, PoCs, product purchases) -Share of GP fees for CISOs in the loyalty program https://lnkd.in/gDta7Gp7

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Customer Spotlight - Transforming Chip Design with Astera Labs on Amazon Web Services (AWS) We’re excited to highlight our partnership with Astera Labs, which revolutionized their chip design process on Amazon Web Services (AWS), slashing cloud costs by 50% while doubling compute capacity. Challenge Astera Labs faced escalating compute costs during the mission-critical tape-out stage of chip design, where reliability and resource efficiency are paramount. The fluctuating workload demands made cost management a significant challenge. Solution By partnering with Exostellar Inc. and leveraging the Infrastructure Optimizer solution, Astera optimized their Electronic Design Automation (EDA) workflows on Amazon Web Services (AWS). This innovative approach allowed them to seamlessly switch between on-demand and spot instances, maximizing cost efficiency without compromising performance. Results - 50% Cloud Cost Reduction: Dramatic savings enabled more investment in innovation. - 2x Compute Capacity: Increased compute capacity within the same budget. - Enhanced Scalability: Scaled resources based on project demands without additional capital investment. - Operational Efficiency: Over 90,000 workload migrations maintained peak reliability. Impact This transformation not only accelerated the chip development process but also enabled Astera Labs to bring products to market faster. The significant cost savings and operational efficiency have empowered them to reinvest in innovation and growth. "Exostellar’s Infrastructure Optimizer allowed us to leverage the cost-effectiveness of spot instances with reliability as if they were on-demand instances, allowing Astera to run more simulation and physical design workloads resulting in reduced development time and quicker time to market." - Jitendra Mohan, CEO, Astera Labs Read the full case study - https://lnkd.in/gzCtj8y4 #AsteraLabs #Exostellar #ChipDesign #AWS #CloudOptimization #CostEfficiency #61DAC #Innovation #Semiconductor #EDA #TechTransformation #CloudComputing #ChipDesign

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👀 Looking at our recent investments at Draper Associates, here’s what standout founders nailed, making our decision to invest much easier (and faster): 💥 Visionary Tech with a Bold Vision – These founders are not here for incremental wins; they’re reimagining what’s possible in across tech - biotech, robotics, aerospace, and beyond. Their vision is big and audacious, tackling complex problems that demand breakthrough solutions, others have not been willing to try. 👊 Clear Passion & Purpose – The drive in these founders is undeniable. They’re committed to their mission with a depth of purpose that shapes every choice. One founder, for example, took two years completely off to learn and meet everyone in longevity biotech. This level of grit and dedication is rare but essential for the most impactful founders. 🌟 Assembling All-Star Teams – They bring together top-tier talent from diverse disciplines: experienced business leaders with successful exits or industry experience at top companies, technical co-founders with deep expertise, often PhDs or industry pioneers, and even published authors. It’s a complementary team, unified by a shared vision. They make the: "Why this team?" obvious - at a glance. 💻 Data-Driven to the Core – These founders present data insights that show why their approach is unique, especially against a competitive field of companies. This data is delivered with clarity and they make the complex simple. Many are published in top journals, adding depth and credibility to their approach, and reinforcing that they know their tech inside out. ⚡️ Memorable, Clear Vision – They don’t just pitch; they make the future feel tangible, with a vision that’s both compelling and concise. If I can relay their pitch in under 30 seconds to my team, they’ve killed it. 📣 Transparent & Proactive Communication – The best founders don’t wait for questions. They come prepared, often with a comprehensive FAQ doc, give timely updates to our questions, and are candid about challenges. This level of openness builds trust and strengthens our partnership. 💸 Milestone-Driven Funding Strategy – Each funding stage aligns clearly with already achieved or upcoming achievable milestones. They’ve mapped out a roadmap that minimizes risk at every step, giving us confidence in their journey. 💰 Revenue Milestones Along the Way – Even if it'll take a decade to hit revenue on their big vision, these founders find revenue generation stops along the way to profitability. They share a trajectory that connects early wins to revenue, showing how every step is a building block toward their bigger vision. Overall, the best founders are incredibly thoughtful, prepared, and fantastic verbal / written communicators. #founders #startups #fundraising #VC

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Reuters: Intel foundry business to make custom chip for Amazon, chipmaker's shares jump" (Max A. Cherney) (September 16, 2024) --Intel shares jump 8% after hours --Intel CEO Gelsinger details Amazon deal in memo --Chip maker's memo also outlines cost cuts "Intel's foundry, or contract manufacturing business, has signed up Amazon's  cloud services unit as a customer for making custom artificial intelligence chips, the companies said on Monday, a deal that gives the chip maker a vote of confidence. Intel's shares rose roughly 8% in extended trading after CEO Pat Gelsinger released a memo to employees announcing Intel had secured the Amazon unit as be a multibillion-dollar customer, paying Santa Clara, California-based Intel for design services and manufacturing. The memo also outlined Intel's planned cost cuts. Amazon's AWS cloud computing division already designs several chips for use in its data centers and has hired Intel to package at least one version. Intel will produce an "artificial intelligence fabric chip" for AWS and use the chip maker's 18A process, the most advanced version available for outside customers, the companies said. Last month, it reported disastrous second quarter earnings. "The board and I agreed that we have a lot of work ahead to drive greater efficiency, improve our profitability and enhance our market competitiveness," Gelsinger wrote in the memo. Among steps the board has decided to take, Intel is selling a stake in its programmable chip business Altera. It also said it would pause construction at its chip factory project in Germany for two years, a move Reuters had previously reported. The company plans to pause its project in Poland as well. Intel said there are no changes to its plans to expand manufacturing in the U.S. Intel plans to keep its manufacturing business, or foundry, inside the company, confirming earlier Reuters reporting. The foundry business is crucial to Gelsinger's turnaround plan for the company, which he outlined in 2021. Until Amazon, Intel has struggled to find marquee customers that it could discuss publicly. But in the memo, Gelsinger said the foundry business would have greater independence. Intel plans to establish it as an independent subsidiary, with an operating board that will oversee the foundry operation. The foundry unit separated its financial performance from the design business earlier this year. The company is also taking several steps to prioritize the core technology behind its CPUs, and is reorganizing several divisions, including its automotive and edge businesses. On Monday Intel also said it was awarded up to $3 billion in direct funding from the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, as part of the Secure Enclave program. The company said it plans to send notices in the middle of October to the roughly 15,000 employees it said in August it would lay off." Reuters: https://lnkd.in/gtiqE9Ea #semiconductors #intel #amazon

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I am excited to speak at IEEE-EDPS later this week, and share my latest thoughts on technologies for next compute paradigm shift in the era of pervasive intelligence. You can still register last minutes at https://lnkd.in/gACWUuib #ComputerChips #PervasiveIntelligence #EmergingTechnologies

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Check out part two of the five-part series today. #VCJ #VentureCapital #ArtificialIntelligence #Europe #NorthAmerica

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New SiFive Performance P870-D Complements Intelligence Chipset for AI TL;DR - SiFive announced the SiFive Performance P870-D, a high-performance RISC-V datacenter processor designed for demanding AI workloads, offering up to 256 cores, enhanced scalability, and advanced Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) features. This processor positions SiFive as a competitive player in the data center market, providing data center architects with a flexible, power-efficient solution for AI-driven applications. SiFive aims to leverage RISC-V's open-source flexibility to challenge established industry giants like Intel and AMD. Read the Research Note in the comments below.

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Sorry for the delay in last week's AI news - just got back from Taiwan and all of its Jensenity! 🔙 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬: 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 Week 42 | June 3-9 JENSENITY at Computex Industry: 🚨AMD unveiled its latest AI processors at the Computex trade show. It also detailed plans to compete with Nvidia (https://lnkd.in/ggvTrCre) 🚨 NVIDIA is said to be prepping AI PC chip with next-gen Arm cores and its Blackwell GPU architecture (https://lnkd.in/gS6Qv2rm?) Financing and M&A: 🚨 Text-to-video platform Pika raises $80M led by Spark Capital with participation from Greycroft, Lightspeed, and others (https://pika.art/blog) 🚨 Twelve Labs, a leader in the multi-modal foundational model space, raised $50m led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and nVentures. The platform is being used by companies in the media & entertainment, advertising and automotive sectors (https://lnkd.in/gvwRkxAr) 🚨 Tektonic AI raises $10m led by Point72 and Madrona to build AI agents to help automate business operations. CEO Nic Surpatanu previously held leadership roles at Tanium, UiPath and Microsoft (https://lnkd.in/gGfxiNW6?). 🚨 Hoop, a next-generation task management platform, raises $5M seed round from Index Ventures 🚨 Greptile raises $4m seed round for code understanding (https://lnkd.in/gDF8MD-C?) 🚨 Cartwheel, a generative 3d animation tool raises $5.6m seed led by Accel and KV Research & Development: 🚨 Qwen2 from Alibaba launched. According to internal released benchmarks, the language model demonstrates superior performance over Llama3-70B and Mixtral 8x22B (https://lnkd.in/gEJi2shn?) 🚨LlamaCare: A Large Medical Language Model for Enhancing Healthcare Knowledge Sharing (https://lnkd.in/g44Q8Pyv?) Other Interesting Resources: 🚨 A good article on robotics in the new wave of LLMs and foundational models. Highly recommend a quick read through for anyone interested in robotics (https://lnkd.in/gn5gbrTR) 🚨Interesting article from John Luttig from Founders Fund on open-source vs. closed-source 🚨Interesting article from Anthropic on Claude's character based on Anthropic's constitutional AI (https://lnkd.in/gK43G7kF?) 🚨Jensen keynote address at Computex: https://lnkd.in/g_eBy-he

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https://lnkd.in/grt_6pVK Jim Keller on fire. 🔥 U.S. chip designer aims to bring down AI prices pushed up by Nvidia. #nvidia #artificialintelligence #llms #chatgpt #generativeai #gpu #servers #datacenter #cloud #ai #technology #innovation #business #Semiconductorindustry #electronics #semiconductor #supplychain credit: Nikkei Asia

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Here we go! #CerebrasSystems tees up for IPO, first off the gate VC-backed AI hardware company, with strong tailwind. Will it open the IPO spigot? That's the $64000 question. Given its improving financials, pioneering wafer-scale chips, and the scarcity factor, among other factors, I believe the odds favor a strong debut, setting the stage for others waiting in the wings. #AI #inferencechips #techipo #venturecapital #privatemarkets #mvpvc #venturebytes $nvda

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Sharing a sanitized version of the mu ventures Q2 q'ly LP update. Included musings: 👉 SEOs shrinking impact, and the rise of LLMO (large language model optimization) 👉 examples of the Commerce AI application layer coming to life 👉 a modern fund strategy that accepts companies require less capital, time, and people to trigger the power law 👉 Mu's guide to investing in AI 👉 all 30 companies in the Mu-niverse (and several others we admire) Founders, VCs, LPs - if you like how we think and suspect we can partner, hit us up! https://lnkd.in/dTJ2zjav

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It is great to see DARPA engaging broadly with startups and the private sector (as it always has) to discuss what technologies could be most critical to future national security. In such a conversation today ppl mentioned quantum computing, encryption and sensing, semiconductor design and manufacturing, new materials and chemistries, AI Safety and risk of AI aided bioterrorism and biological warfare, zero knowledge proofs, fully homomorphic encryption, US weapons and broader defense manufacturing capacity, hydrogen production technologies, and autonomous swarms.

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ISP Strategic Leadership, Engineering, and Operations As an organization scales, there is often a need to separate strategic technology leadership under the CTO from internal execution under engineering and operations management. This allows the CTO to focus on outward-facing duties while enabling streamlined operational efficiency. However, it's crucial to recognize the differing motivations and needs of these distinct technical roles. On one hand, engineers thrive on tackling interesting, challenging projects that push their abilities and knowledge. They value working alongside capable peers, genuine recognition of technical accomplishments, and contributing to products/services that reach the market. In contrast, operations teams should strive for repeatable processes, continual improvement, and driving efficiency at scale. Their priorities revolve around standardizing workflows, minimizing disruptions, and incrementally optimizing existing systems and procedures to maintain consistent service delivery as the company grows. An effective organizational structure acknowledges this dichotomy, fostering an environment that fuels engineering innovation while providing operations with the stability and process-orientation they require. Striking this balance enables the company to stay agile and innovative through its engineering efforts, while simultaneously scaling operational execution in a reliable and repeatable manner. Competitive compensation remains an important motivator across both domains. By properly aligning structural elements, motivational factors, and leadership priorities, a rapidly growing ISP can position itself to attract and retain top talent across engineering and operations, driving sustainable growth and success in the dynamic technology landscape.

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Most major tech companies are at Computex in Taiwan this week, and we're seeing a flood of announcements. The industry is buzzing following Jensen Huang's announcement of the next-generation Rubin GPU platform and associated Vera Arm CPUs. These will replace Grace, Hopper, and Grace Hopper as NVIDIA's scalable AI platform in 2026 and beyond. It's excellent to see NVIDIA honor another woman in science with their platform names, in this case American astronomer Vera Rubin who passed away in 2016. #Rundown #Computex #AI

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