Hardware Podcasts

Federico Faggin designed the first microprocessor and the capacitive touchscreen. He joins Go/No-Go to argue that AI cannot be conscious, however capable it becomes.

Go/No-Go · 26 Jun 2026 · 54m

What this episode covers

Federico Faggin, inventor of the Intel 4004 microprocessor and the capacitive touchscreen, recounts his journey from developing MOS silicon gate technology at Fairchild Semiconductor to founding Zilog and Synaptics. He details the physical realities of early chip design, such as hand-drawing transistors and using slide rules, and explains how he built the Z80 with only $400,000 and 11 people. Faggin argues in his book Irreducible that classical computers and AI cannot be conscious because they lack the quantum field interactions necessary for true feeling and free will.

Most relevant to

founders before launch and early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Intel, Fairchild Semiconductor, Zilog, Synaptics, Motorola, Sinter Tech, Apple, Nokia
Products
Intel 4004, Z80, Irreducible

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