# Ep 191: Agents Gone Wild: Broadcom’s ASICs and the AI Frontier

- Show: [The Circuit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit)
- Published: 2026-09-07
- Length: 51m
- Episode: 184
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2026-09-07-ep-191-agents-gone-wild-broadcoms-asics-and-the-ai-frontier
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/5bf000e8

## Summary

Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss Broadcom's recent earnings, highlighting the shift in custom ASIC customers from Google to Anthropic and OpenAI, and the increasing complexity of modeling mixed-chip programs involving competitors like MediaTek and Marvell. They debate the semiconductor supply chain, with Bajarin predicting peak constraints in 2027 and capacity relief in 2028, while Goldberg warns that this oversupply could shift pricing power and compress margins. The hosts also analyze Nvidia's $13 billion acquisition of Hugging Face, arguing it secures Nvidia's position in AI software without locking in open models, and conclude that both open and closed frontier models will coexist, with frontier models remaining essential for enterprise cybersecurity and national security.

## Chapters

- [0:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2026-09-07-ep-191-agents-gone-wild-broadcoms-asics-and-the-ai-frontier#t=5) Introduction: Creative Strategies Atlas and Broadcom Earnings Overview
- [4:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2026-09-07-ep-191-agents-gone-wild-broadcoms-asics-and-the-ai-frontier#t=295) Broadcom's Custom ASIC Customers: Anthropic, OpenAI, and MediaTek Competition
- [12:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2026-09-07-ep-191-agents-gone-wild-broadcoms-asics-and-the-ai-frontier#t=737) Modeling Complexity: Compute, Networking, and IO Tile Mix
- [22:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2026-09-07-ep-191-agents-gone-wild-broadcoms-asics-and-the-ai-frontier#t=1374) Supply Chain Bottlenecks: Peak Constraints in 2027 and 2028 Relief
- [29:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2026-09-07-ep-191-agents-gone-wild-broadcoms-asics-and-the-ai-frontier#t=1783) Pricing Power and Capacity: Memory, TSMC, and Margin Compression
- [37:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2026-09-07-ep-191-agents-gone-wild-broadcoms-asics-and-the-ai-frontier#t=2267) Nvidia's Acquisition of Hugging Face and AI Software Strategy
- [41:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2026-09-07-ep-191-agents-gone-wild-broadcoms-asics-and-the-ai-frontier#t=2509) The Case for Frontier Models: Cybersecurity and National Security

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Broadcom (company)
- Nvidia (company)
- Hugging Face (company)
- Anthropic (company)
- OpenAI (company)
- MediaTek (company)
- Marvell (company)
- TSMC (company)
- TPU (product)
- Tomahawk (product)
- Creative Strategies Atlas (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [AI Chip Revelations | A Corporate Soap Opera | The Sounds of a Pandemic](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2020-04-17-ai-chip-revelations-a-corporate-soap-opera-the-sounds-of-a-pandemic) (EE Times Current)
- [Inside the emerging frontier of models, machines and manufacturing hell.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/built-2-scale/2025-12-11-inside-the-emerging-frontier-of-models-machines-and-manufacturing-hell) (Built 2 Scale)
- [Predictions 2025](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2025-01-10-predictions-2025) (Oxide and Friends)
- [CEO Interview: Mike Henry of Mythic | The Biggest Chip Deal Ever | Do Androids Dream of Electric Smartphones?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2020-09-18-ceo-interview-mike-henry-of-mythic-the-biggest-chip-deal-ever-do-androids-dream) (EE Times Current)
- [Can the Nvidia Monopoly on AI Chips Be Broken?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2026-03-16-can-the-nvidia-monopoly-on-ai-chips-be-broken) (EE Times Current)

## Citing this page

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