# Building Together: Oxide and Samtec

- Show: [Oxide and Friends](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends)
- Published: 2023-05-16
- Length: 1h 20m
- Episode: 14
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/04e70808

## Summary

Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal of Oxide Computer Company discuss their partnership with Samtec, featuring guests Jonathan Ghesh and Jignesh Khanna, to build the Oxide Rack using flyover cable systems instead of traditional PCB backplanes. Ariane Goldstein explains how this architecture allowed for modular board design, thermal management, and rapid iteration, while Jignesh details the technical challenges of signal integrity, cable manufacturing, and the shift toward copper over optics. The conversation highlights Samtec's 'Sudden Service' model, where deep engineering collaboration and onshore manufacturing in the US enabled Oxide to solve critical failure modes, such as solder joint cracking, through joint problem-solving rather than adversarial vendor relationships.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec#t=0) Introduction: Oxide's Partner vs. Vendor Philosophy
- [3:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec#t=213) Ariane Goldstein and the Flyover Cable Discovery
- [7:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec#t=452) Samtec's Sudden Service and Rapid Prototyping
- [12:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec#t=725) 3D Design and Modular Board Architecture
- [25:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec#t=1526) Switching Vendors: From Delays to Partnership
- [33:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec#t=2020) Cable Mechanics: Good vs. Bad Bends and Stress
- [37:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec#t=2226) Debugging Field Failures and Solder Joint Cracking
- [43:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec#t=2585) Onshore Manufacturing and US Supply Chain
- [54:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec#t=3266) Product Manager Involvement and Customer Feedback Loops
- [1:01:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec#t=3675) Copper vs. Optics and Future Silicon Photonics

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Oxide Computer Company (company)
- Samtec (company)
- Tufino (chip)
- QSFP (product)
- TwinX (product)
- Exomax (product)
- DTrace (product)
- Intel (company)
- AMD (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [322: Learn Assembly Code](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-02-28-322-learn-assembly-code) (Embedded.fm)
- [New PCB Assembly Method Promises Higher Reliability & Lower Cost](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-09-30-new-pcb-assembly-method-promises-higher-reliability-lower-cost) (OnTrack)
- [Secret Squirrel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-10-02-secret-squirrel) (The Amp Hour)
- [Building Modular Open Source Electronics with Lukas Henkel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-06-10-building-modular-open-source-electronics-with-lukas-henkel) (OnTrack)
- [Interconnectorama](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-12-11-interconnectorama) (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/oxide-and-friends/2023-05-16-building-together-oxide-and-samtec. 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 Oxide and Friends.