Hardware Podcasts

Episode 81: Chatting With AMD's Forrest Norrod EVP Datacenter Solutions about Buying ZT Systems

The Circuit · 26 Aug 2024 · 34m · Episode 82

What this episode covers

Forrest Norrod, AMD's EVP of Datacenter Solutions, explains the strategic acquisition of ZT Systems to integrate high-level system design with AMD's EPYC CPUs and Instinct GPUs. Norrod details how ZT's expertise in designing customized infrastructure for hyperscalers like Microsoft and AWS allows AMD to optimize silicon and system design concurrently, accelerating time-to-market for AI servers. The hosts discuss the financial strategy of divesting ZT's manufacturing assets to focus on design, the competitive implications of AMD's open ecosystem versus Nvidia's closed stack, and the shifting dynamics of hyperscaler in-house design trends.

Most relevant to

large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
AMD, ZT Systems, Microsoft, AWS, Nvidia, Intel, Dell, HPE, Lenovo
Products
EPYC, Instinct, MI 300

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Moore's Lobby · 51m

    Ep. 43 | Mark Papermaster: The EE and Exec Behind Apple, IBM, Cisco, and AMD's Success

    Mark Papermaster, AMD's CTO and Executive Vice President of Technology and Engineering, discusses his career at Apple, IBM, and Cisco, and his current role leading AMD's turnaround. He explains how AMD used modularity and the Infinity Architecture to 'punch above its weight' against larger competitors, enabling the development of the Zen architecture and APU. Papermaster details the strategic shift toward chiplets and heterogeneous computing through acquisitions of ATI and Xilinx, allowing AMD to mix CPU, GPU, and FPGA technologies. He emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary engineering teams, balanced system design, and AI as a fundamental skill for modern engineers.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsCareers & education
    10 chapters

  • EE Times Current · 46m

    2020 Mega-Merger #3 | An AI Ecosystem (Almost) from Scratch

    Tirias Research analyst Kevin Krewell explains that AMD's $35 billion acquisition of Xilinx creates a diversified powerhouse, combining AMD's CPU/GPU strength with Xilinx's FPGA and Versal technologies to target data center, edge, and embedded markets. Meanwhile, IBM Research VP Mukesh Khare and Synopsys VP Arun Venkatachar discuss the IBM Research AI Hardware Center, a public-private partnership aimed at building an end-to-end AI ecosystem from devices to software. They detail their goal of improving AI compute efficiency by 1,000 times in 10 years through innovations in heterogeneous integration, chiplets, and analog AI, leveraging Synopsys' EDA tools and the broader ecosystem including Samsung and Applied Materials.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsAI & machine learning
    5 chapters

  • EE Times Current · 20m

    The State of Multi-Die: Insights and Customer Requirements

    Shaker Kapur, Executive Director of Productline Management for the Synopsys EDA Group, discusses the industry shift toward multi-die design driven by the strategic collaboration between OpenAI and AMD. He explains how this partnership, involving up to 6 gigawatts of AMD Instinct GPUs, highlights the necessity of co-optimizing hardware and software to meet exploding AI compute demands. Kapur details how Synopsys addresses these challenges through its 3DIC Capital platform, which unifies multi-die architecture exploration and system-level analysis to enable scalable, power-efficient data center architectures.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsAI & machine learning
    7 chapters

  • EE Times Current · 41m

    Interview: AMD CTO Papermaster | Interview: Imagination CEO Black | Where to Invest in 2020

    AMD CTO Mark Papermaster discusses the company's transition to 7nm Zen architecture, chiplet-based designs like the Threadripper 3990X, and the integration of specialized accelerators for AI workloads. Imagination Technologies CEO Ron Black explains the company's strategic pivot toward automotive graphics, ray tracing, and RISC-V cores, highlighting the resumption of its partnership with Apple. EE Times editors analyze 2020 investment trends, emphasizing that data generation from apps is driving semiconductor growth, with specific focus on memory, RF front-ends, and power infrastructure in developing economies.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsAI & machine learning
    5 chapters

  • EE Times Current · 29m

    How Much is Enough for Hyperscale Companies?

    Brian Santo hosts a discussion on how hyperscale companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft are reshaping the semiconductor industry by demanding extreme power efficiency and designing custom AI accelerators. Experts Rick Merritt, Gary Hilson, and Dylan McGrath explain that these giants are pushing beyond standard roadmaps, collaborating directly with equipment vendors like Applied Materials, and leveraging their vast capital to drive innovation in memory and process technology. The episode concludes with Wally Rhines' insight that these companies' ultimate goal is owning the data and systems rather than just selling silicon, raising concerns about their growing societal power.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsSourcing & supply chain
    6 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Circuit. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.