# Surging AI and Data Center CapEx: Are We on the Verge of a Bubble? w/ Wasif Khan

- Show: [The Manufacturing Executive](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive)
- Published: 2026-03-17
- Length: 32m
- Episode: 301
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-03-17-surging-ai-and-data-center-capex-are-we-on-the-verge-of-a-bubble-w-wasif-khan
- Listen: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-manufacturing-executive#episode-3e452503-a521-403a-9668-1570fc4ad9a2

## Summary

Wasif Khan, CFO and Co-Founder of viaPhoton, argues that the surge in AI data center capital expenditure is not a bubble but a transformative shift comparable to the move to cloud computing, driven by massive potential labor efficiency gains. He advises manufacturing leaders to navigate this volatile market by keeping fixed costs low, maintaining flexible balance sheets with broad loan covenants, and focusing on team morale. Khan also discusses viaPhoton's culture of giving young engineers significant responsibility to foster growth in a high-stakes environment.

## Chapters

- [0:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-03-17-surging-ai-and-data-center-capex-are-we-on-the-verge-of-a-bubble-w-wasif-khan#t=38) Introduction: Wasif Khan and viaPhoton
- [3:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-03-17-surging-ai-and-data-center-capex-are-we-on-the-verge-of-a-bubble-w-wasif-khan#t=226) Defining Risk and Liquidity Cycles
- [9:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-03-17-surging-ai-and-data-center-capex-are-we-on-the-verge-of-a-bubble-w-wasif-khan#t=558) AI CapEx vs. Cloud CapEx: The Bubble Question
- [16:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-03-17-surging-ai-and-data-center-capex-are-we-on-the-verge-of-a-bubble-w-wasif-khan#t=1011) AI Revenue and Monetization Maturity
- [21:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-03-17-surging-ai-and-data-center-capex-are-we-on-the-verge-of-a-bubble-w-wasif-khan#t=1278) Navigating Market Cycles for Manufacturers
- [24:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-03-17-surging-ai-and-data-center-capex-are-we-on-the-verge-of-a-bubble-w-wasif-khan#t=1496) Building Culture and Empowering Young Engineers

## Topics

- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- viaPhoton (company)
- Gorilla 76 (company)
- OpenAI (company)
- Oracle (company)
- Anthropic (company)
- Claude (product)
- ChatGPT (product)
- Microsoft (company)
- Amazon (company)
- Google (company)
- Meta (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 65: Capex to the Moon!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-04-29-episode-65-capex-to-the-moon) (The Circuit)
- [259: Data Centers, Modularity, and Mission Critical Manufacturing featuring Keith Hutchens of BW Design Group](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2025-10-28-259-data-centers-modularity-and-mission-critical-manufacturing-featuring-keith-h) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [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)
- [Episode 75: The AI Big $$$ Question](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-07-16-episode-75-the-ai-big-question) (The Circuit)
- [EP 186: Mobile Bottlenecks, Skyrocketing AI CapEx, and the Compute Crunch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2026-08-03-ep-186-mobile-bottlenecks-skyrocketing-ai-capex-and-the-compute-crunch) (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/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-03-17-surging-ai-and-data-center-capex-are-we-on-the-verge-of-a-bubble-w-wasif-khan. 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 The Manufacturing Executive.