I stepped into an art gallery and walked out thinking about data centers
That was the vibe at Stanford University x Massachusetts Institute of Technology Summit - The AI Hardware Stack
I stepped into an art gallery and walked out thinking about data centers. 🎨🤖
That was the vibe at Stanford University x Massachusetts Institute of Technology Summit — The AI Hardware Stack: From Chip to Chiller — held by SFPlayground at Mosaic, Embarcadero. It was one of those rare events where the venue, the topic, and the people were absolutely perfect.
Art pieces on the walls, sculptures at every corner, and an actual robot taking the walk of fame on the red carpet. Being both an art enthusiast and an AI practitioner, I think I was the happiest person in the room that night. 🤩
I do calligraphy, wood & stone art, and many other art forms in addition to doing AI since 2004, so I felt very comfortable with both the place — the art gallery — and the audience.
And then the discussion began, and the atmosphere in the room shifted. Moderated by Murray Newlands along with panelists Ravi Mahatme, Yuval Bachar, and Raghu Madabushi talking about compute, energy, thermal design, infrastructure deployment, and investment aspects of AI hardware.
The conclusion? Applications and models are just the tip of the iceberg. The real race is happening beneath them. Data center power demand is set to double by 2030, and the infrastructure stack is just as critical as the model race.
We're running out of watts.
Off-grid hydrogen energy, towns that would benefit from tax revenue and employment opportunities but sometimes still oppose data centers, and more. The full stack matters — from chip to chiller.
Beyond the panel, the conversations with the people there made the evening just as valuable. Got to meet the amazing Ann Soy, along with so many others bringing unique perspectives to this space. For me, that's the true magic of San Francisco: bohemia + tech in the same city, same time!
