# Envisioning an Energy Efficient Tech Future

- Show: [OnTrack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack)
- Published: 2024-05-14
- Length: 54m
- Episode: 266
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-05-14-envisioning-an-energy-efficient-tech-future
- Listen: https://podcast.altium.com/e/envisioning-an-energy-efficient-tech-future/

## Summary

Greg Bailey, President of GreenArrays, discusses the company's approach to designing energy-efficient custom silicon by building from first principles rather than using standard libraries or FPGAs. He explains how GreenArrays creates full-custom chips with asynchronous logic to minimize leakage and power consumption, contrasting this with the inefficiencies of modern multicore architectures and the high energy cost of clocks. Bailey critiques the industry's reliance on hyper-specialization and software reuse, arguing that true innovation requires understanding both hardware physics and application-level requirements to solve problems like IoT power waste and AI simulation efficiency.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-05-14-envisioning-an-energy-efficient-tech-future#t=0) Introduction and Career Overview
- [7:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-05-14-envisioning-an-energy-efficient-tech-future#t=460) GreenArrays Philosophy and Custom Silicon Design
- [20:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-05-14-envisioning-an-energy-efficient-tech-future#t=1240) Critique of FPGAs and Clock Power Consumption
- [29:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-05-14-envisioning-an-energy-efficient-tech-future#t=1750) Asynchronous Computing and Simulation Challenges
- [35:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-05-14-envisioning-an-energy-efficient-tech-future#t=2150) Hardware Efficiency and Neural Network Implementation
- [44:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-05-14-envisioning-an-energy-efficient-tech-future#t=2652) Industry Barriers to Innovation and Education

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- GreenArrays (company)
- Forth (other)
- Global Foundries (company)
- ARM (company)
- Xilinx (company)
- Tanner (tool)
- Altium Designer (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 28: A Whole Lot of Custom Going On](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2023-08-07-episode-28-a-whole-lot-of-custom-going-on) (The Circuit)
- [Episode 105: Sanity Check on Custom ASICS?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2025-02-17-episode-105-sanity-check-on-custom-asics) (The Circuit)
- [Episode 20: Apple's Silicon Strategy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2023-05-29-episode-20-apples-silicon-strategy) (The Circuit)
- [Rigorous engineering stuff may be out the window](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-09-11-rigorous-engineering-stuff-may-be-out-the-window) (The Amp Hour)
- [Downward Sloping Trace](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-31-downward-sloping-trace) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-05-14-envisioning-an-energy-efficient-tech-future. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to OnTrack.