On this episode of FYI, ARK’s Chief Futurist Brett Winton and Next Generation Internet Director of Research Frank Downing sit down with Keith Witek, the Chief Operating Officer of Tenstorrent. With over 20 years in the chip industry, Keith shares his insights on the rapidly evolving AI chip landscape, the significance of RISC-V1 architecture, and the strategic moves that set Tenstorrent apart from industry giants like NVIDIA. This conversation explores the complexities of artificial intelligence (AI) compute, the role of open-source development, and the potential for innovation within the semiconductor industry.
“I think there's a huge sandbox and playground for companies with good technology and novel business models, handling certain segments that are uninteresting to the big guys. I think there's a huge opportunity for those companies to make their name in the business.” - Keith Witek
Key Points From This Episode:
- Overview of Keith Witek's career in the chip industry
- Importance of AI chips in boosting productivity for knowledge workers
- The role of RISC-V architecture in Tenstorrent's strategy
- Challenges and opportunities in the AI compute market
- Comparison between Tenstorrent and NVIDIA's AI chip approaches
- The significance of open-source development in AI
- Strategic insights on the semiconductor industry's future
- Tenstorrent's unique business model and its implications
- The potential for RISC-V to disrupt existing chip markets
- Predictions for the AI hardware market by the end of the decade
[1] RISC-V (pronounced risk-five) is an open standard instruction set architecture based on established reduced instruction set computer principles. Unlike most other ISA designs, RISC-V is provided under royalty-free open-source licenses.