AI and robotics may look like software revolutions.

But every breakthrough depends on the semiconductors underneath them.

In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Dr. Ahmad Bahai, chief technology officer at Texas Instruments, about the chips, power systems, sensors, and edge-processing technologies enabling the next generation of AI and robotics.

Ahmad explains why companies cannot predict the next major market a decade in advance. What they can see are the underlying trends, including the growing demand for power density, bandwidth, timing accuracy, and local processing. Those needs now extend from massive AI data centers to mobile devices and robots that must react without waiting for the cloud.

Brian and Ahmad also trace his path from early Wi-Fi research at Bell Labs to Kilby Labs and Texas Instruments. Ahmad reflects on what made Bell Labs unique, why that model is difficult to reproduce today, and how companies can connect academic research with technology that can be manufactured at scale.

The conversation also covers the semiconductor supply chain, the search for more efficient AI algorithms, and why technologies like autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots take longer to reach the mainstream than early predictions suggest.

Finally, Ahmad explains why supposed physical limits rarely end technological progress. Scientists once argued that chips could not scale below 55 nanometers. Engineers found another way, and today the industry has reached two nanometers.

Learn more about Dr. Ahmad Bahai and semiconductor innovation at Texas Instruments:
https://www.ti.com/video/6372229233112

Learn more about Texas Instruments:
https://www.ti.com/about-ti.html

Read TI’s insights on scaling humanoid robots: https://www.ti.com/about-ti/behind-chip/articles/what-will-it-take-to-bring-humanoid-robots-into-the-real-world-read-our-experts-insights.html

We’d love to hear from you. Have thoughts or guest suggestions?
Reach us at podcast@automate.org.

You can find the transcript and more episodes of Automated at automated.fm

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Dr. Ahmad Bahai on the Semiconductor Race Behind AI and Robotics

Automated with Brian Heater

Dr. Ahmad Bahai on the Semiconductor Race Behind AI and Robotics