# Ep. 46 | Microsoft VP Marcus Fontoura on Architecting Azure, the "World's Computer"

- Show: [Moore's Lobby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby)
- Published: 2022-05-24
- Length: 44m
- Episode: 6
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-05-24-ep-46-microsoft-vp-marcus-fontoura-on-architecting-azure-the-worlds-computer
- Listen: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/podcast/ep-46-microsoft-vp-marcus-fontoura-architecting-azure-the-worlds-computer

## Summary

Marcus Fontoura, Microsoft VP and Technical Fellow for Azure Compute, explains how Microsoft is architecting the cloud as a 'world's computer' through deep hardware-software co-design. He details the shift to software-defined data centers, where machine learning predicts workload behavior to optimize power and cooling, enabling techniques like selective CPU overclocking. Fontoura highlights the success of liquid immersion cooling and the critical role of edge-cloud integration in achieving sustainability and democratizing high-performance computing.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-05-24-ep-46-microsoft-vp-marcus-fontoura-on-architecting-azure-the-worlds-computer#t=1) Introduction and Career Background
- [4:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-05-24-ep-46-microsoft-vp-marcus-fontoura-on-architecting-azure-the-worlds-computer#t=250) Co-design and Ambient Intelligence
- [12:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-05-24-ep-46-microsoft-vp-marcus-fontoura-on-architecting-azure-the-worlds-computer#t=738) Software-Defined Data Centers and Workload Prediction
- [22:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-05-24-ep-46-microsoft-vp-marcus-fontoura-on-architecting-azure-the-worlds-computer#t=1352) Managing Capacity During the COVID Crisis
- [27:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-05-24-ep-46-microsoft-vp-marcus-fontoura-on-architecting-azure-the-worlds-computer#t=1634) Liquid Immersion Cooling and CPU Overclocking
- [32:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-05-24-ep-46-microsoft-vp-marcus-fontoura-on-architecting-azure-the-worlds-computer#t=1979) Power Stranding and Sustainability
- [39:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-05-24-ep-46-microsoft-vp-marcus-fontoura-on-architecting-azure-the-worlds-computer#t=2356) Edge Computing and Future Skills

## Topics

- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Microsoft (company)
- Azure (product)
- IBM Research (company)
- Yahoo (company)
- Google (company)
- Apple II (product)
- HoloLens (product)
- Space Invaders (product)
- Pac-Man (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [46: I'm Painting the Turtle](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-04-09-46-im-painting-the-turtle) (Embedded.fm)
- [From Data Centers to Devices – The Ongoing [R]Evolution of AI Computing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2022-02-11-from-data-centers-to-devices-the-ongoing-r-evolution-of-ai-computing) (EE Times Current)
- [An Interview with Rick Altherr](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-08-29-an-interview-with-rick-altherr) (The Amp Hour)
- [Episode 43: The Custom Silicon Trend Continues](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2023-11-20-episode-43-the-custom-silicon-trend-continues) (The Circuit)
- [143: I'm Thinking of Unicorns](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-03-17-143-im-thinking-of-unicorns) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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