# The Terahertz Frontier with Greg Charvat of Teradar

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2026-07-22
- Length: 1h 20m
- Episode: 729
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-22-the-terahertz-frontier-with-greg-charvat-of-teradar
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/729-the-terahertz-frontier-greg-charvat-teradar/

## Summary

Greg Charvat, CTO and co-founder of Teradar, explains how his company is developing terahertz-frequency radar chips to overcome the resolution limits of 77 GHz automotive radar and the weather sensitivity of LIDAR. He details the technical challenges of designing sensors on silicon, leveraging high-volume semiconductor fabs to create a competitive moat, and the importance of digital phased arrays for high-resolution imaging. Charvat also shares advice for hardware founders on avoiding the CEO trap and discusses Teradar's distributed engineering culture across San Jose, Boston, and Connecticut.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-22-the-terahertz-frontier-with-greg-charvat-of-teradar#t=0) Introduction and Greg's Background
- [3:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-22-the-terahertz-frontier-with-greg-charvat-of-teradar#t=191) Building Sensor-on-Chip Companies
- [7:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-22-the-terahertz-frontier-with-greg-charvat-of-teradar#t=466) The Moat of Silicon Sensors
- [12:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-22-the-terahertz-frontier-with-greg-charvat-of-teradar#t=763) Semiconductor Processes and Fabs
- [25:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-22-the-terahertz-frontier-with-greg-charvat-of-teradar#t=1518) Terahertz Radar vs. LIDAR and 77 GHz Radar
- [34:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-22-the-terahertz-frontier-with-greg-charvat-of-teradar#t=2098) History of Radar and Phased Arrays
- [48:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-22-the-terahertz-frontier-with-greg-charvat-of-teradar#t=2882) Teradar's Technology and Probe Room
- [1:00:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-22-the-terahertz-frontier-with-greg-charvat-of-teradar#t=3658) Company Structure and Hiring
- [1:13:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-07-22-the-terahertz-frontier-with-greg-charvat-of-teradar#t=4418) Advice for Hardware Founders

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Teradar (company)
- Butterfly Network (company)
- Hyperfine Research (company)
- Humatics (company)
- MIT Lincoln Laboratory (company)
- TSMC (company)
- Gallium Nitride (material)
- LIDAR (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Cracking The Code Of Automotive Radar: An Inside Look With Arbe's Chief Radar Officer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2024-12-05-cracking-the-code-of-automotive-radar-an-inside-look-with-arbes-chief-radar-offi) (Over the Air)
- [Ep. 48 | Argo AI's Hardware VP Talks Autonomous Vehicles and Single Photon Lidar](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2022-06-21-ep-48-argo-ais-hardware-vp-talks-autonomous-vehicles-and-single-photon-lidar) (Moore's Lobby)
- [Hackaday Podcast Ep 389: Spinning Lightfield Displays and Jenny Visits a Blast Furnace](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-10-02-hackaday-podcast-ep-389-spinning-lightfield-displays-and-jenny-visits-a-blast-fu) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Pragmatic Semi is Breaking the Rules and Bending Silicon Electronics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2024-03-26-pragmatic-semi-is-breaking-the-rules-and-bending-silicon-electronics) (Moore's Lobby)
- [Ep 158: Phased Array Physics, CRTs Two Ways, A Micro Microcontroller, and a Surgically Implanted Red Herring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2022-03-04-ep-158-phased-array-physics-crts-two-ways-a-micro-microcontroller-and-a-surgical) (Hackaday Podcast)

## Citing this page

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