Person
Vikram Sekar
Host, Semi Doped
PicoJool's Al Yuen: The Case for GaAs VCSELs in Scale-Up Interconnects
Al Yuen argues PicoJool can scale AI interconnects with GaAs VCSELs because the supply chain is already built for high-volume data-center production, unlike constrained single-mode/InP alternatives. The episode focuses on error-rate requirements, 200G VCSEL product options, and a roadmap from 1.6T toward 3.2T and 12.8T without requiring new manufacturing breakthroughs.
WEKA's Val Bercovici: KV Cache, DeepSeek V4, HBF, SLC vs QLC NAND, CXL, NVLink, Tokenomics
Val Bercovici argues AI inference is becoming a memory-and-token-economics problem, with KV cache compression, network-attached memory, and NAND tiering reshaping system design. He also makes a blunt case that CXL is losing relevance, HBF will likely need SLC-like endurance buffering, and SaaS economics are being upended by token OPEX.
Micron's Record Profits, Apple's CXMT Plea: AI is Eating All the Memory
Micron’s memory business is in a record-profit supercycle as AI datacenters absorb nearly all available supply, pushing up DRAM/NAND prices across consumer electronics too. The hosts argue this creates a bifurcated market: inelastic AI demand keeps pricing hot, while consumer devices face shrinkflation, repricing, and even controversial sourcing moves like Apple reportedly eyeing CXMT.
Qualcomm's HBC Memory, Alphawave, Modular, and more
Qualcomm’s investor day was presented as a pivot from handset-first communications to a broader business mix led by automotive, IoT, and data center. The hosts focused on Qualcomm’s HBC memory idea, its data-center CPU and networking roadmap, and the long-term edge/robotics opportunity.
Advanced Packaging, TSMC CoWoS, Intel EMIB
The episode argues that advanced packaging has become inseparable from AI chip design, with reticle limits, HBM density, and multi-die stitching now driving architecture. The hosts compare TSMC’s CoWoS variants with Intel’s EMIB and discuss how Google TPU demand could shape the next wave of packaging capacity.
Computex Mania 2026: Optics and Power
Austin and Vik recap their first in-person meeting at Computex, focusing on how the show centered on AI hardware, optics, and data-center power. The episode digs into Marvell’s interconnect strategy, CPO/XPO tradeoffs, micro-LEDs, 800 V rack power, immersion cooling, and Intel’s advanced packaging-led CPU roadmap.