# Is NVIDIA like Sun from the Dot Com Bubble?

- Show: [Oxide and Friends](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends)
- Published: 2024-06-27
- Length: 1h 28m
- Episode: 16
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/525cbba8

## Summary

Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal, former Sun Microsystems employees, analyze a viral tweet comparing NVIDIA's current dominance to Sun Microsystems during the Dot Com Bubble, with Todd Gamblin providing technical context on AMD and Intel. They argue that Sun was never as dominant as NVIDIA, citing the historical rise of x86 and Windows NT, and contrast Sun's complacency with NVIDIA's execution and 'run-ins with death.' The discussion covers the risks of high valuation, proprietary software stacks like CUDA, and the competitive landscape involving AMD's MI300 and Intel's Ponte Vecchio.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble#t=1) Introduction: Reading the Viral Tweet
- [10:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble#t=651) Debunking the Sun vs. NVIDIA Comparison
- [21:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble#t=1302) RISC-V, Framework Laptop, and SPARC History
- [30:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble#t=1800) Valuation, Equity, and Market Expectations
- [40:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble#t=2420) Technical Analysis: AMD MI300 and Intel Ponte Vecchio
- [46:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble#t=2774) NVIDIA's RIVA 128 and Sun's 1989 Crisis
- [53:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble#t=3222) Oxide's AMD vs. Intel Decision and Chiplet Architecture
- [1:05:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble#t=3904) AWS Dominance, Kubernetes, and Customer Focus
- [1:16:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble#t=4594) Founder Leadership, Microsoft's Evolution, and Future Risks

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- NVIDIA (company)
- Sun Microsystems (company)
- AMD (company)
- Intel (company)
- RIVA 128 (product)
- MI300 (product)
- Ponte Vecchio (product)
- Framework laptop (product)
- RISC-V (chip)
- SPARC (chip)
- CUDA (other)
- Oxide Computer Company (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 61: A Holistic Analysis of Nvidia](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-04-03-episode-61-a-holistic-analysis-of-nvidia) (The Circuit)
- [EP 147: Talking All Things AI with Benedict Evans](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2025-12-29-ep-147-talking-all-things-ai-with-benedict-evans) (The Circuit)
- [NVIDIA: Jensen Huang. From near collapse to becoming the world’s biggest company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-05-18-nvidia-jensen-huang-from-near-collapse-to-becoming-the-worlds-biggest-company) (How I Built This)
- [Episode 73: Nvidia's Moment, and The "Platformization" of GPUs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-06-24-episode-73-nvidias-moment-and-the-platformization-of-gpus) (The Circuit)
- [Episode 83: The Earnings Heard Round the World (NVDA)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-09-03-episode-83-the-earnings-heard-round-the-world-nvda) (The Circuit)

## 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/2024-06-27-is-nvidia-like-sun-from-the-dot-com-bubble. 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.