ConnectingAI #110: Forget about AI unless you’ve got the right hardware and more
Bits and bites of how hardware enables the future of AI, the latest technological advancements and my favorite news in AI this week.
Top ConnectingAI articles of the week
1- Forget about AI unless you’ve got the right hardware: As AI excitement grows, many enterprises still lack the GPUs, NPUs, and specialized chips required to run modern models efficiently. Real AI returns depend on prioritizing compute infrastructure—especially AI-optimized chips and scalable data centers.
2- India Prioritizes GPU Infrastructure for Nation-Scale AI: With AI use cases expanding rapidly, India is ramping up investment in data centers and compute power to meet growing GPU demand. AMD is doubling down with plans to grow its workforce in India to over 10,000 in the next few years.
3- Agentic AI Needs Strong Hardware Support and Evaluation: As agentic AI systems become more autonomous, their safe and scalable deployment hinges on robust evaluation frameworks and coordinated hardware. Without this foundation, reliability and control become harder to guarantee.
4- How AI is Revolutionizing the Semiconductor Industry in 2025: AI is transforming semiconductor development—especially in chip design—driving innovations in speed, efficiency, and form factor. The pressure to support AI workloads is accelerating the shift to smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient processors.
5- EDA Firms Are Leading the AI Hardware Revolution: EDA giants like Cadence, Siemens, and Synopsys are integrating AI into their chip design platforms to enhance performance and reduce development time. Cadence’s goal of “Level 5 autonomy” could cut design cycles by up to 50%.
6- Seamless optical cloud computing across edge-metro network for generative AI: A new demonstration links edge, metro, and cloud nodes with wavelength-multiplexed photonic chips, enabling optical AI workloads across long distances. The system delivers high throughput and low latency with minimal power draw—ideal for generative AI.
AI piqued my interest
1- AI and drones are taking over July 4th fireworks: AI and drones are transforming July 4th fireworks into high-tech spectacles — using synchronized drone swarms and AR experiences in place of loud, pollution-heavy pyrotechnics. These clean, quiet displays are not only safer and eco-friendlier but also programmable via AI tools that choreograph hundreds of drones to music, images, or even user prompts.
2- To Save Patients from Extreme Heat, a Hospital Is Turning to AI: Hospitals are deploying AI models to predict heatwaves and flag vulnerable patients, enabling timely interventions. By combining climate data with medical records, AI helps mitigate the rising health risks of extreme temperatures.
3- How AI is transforming corporate finance: AI is revolutionizing corporate finance by automating tasks such as forecasting, budgeting, and risk management—freeing finance teams to focus on strategic analysis. Advanced models leverage real-time data to improve accuracy and enable proactive decision-making across operations.
4- Meta has found another way to keep you engaged: Chatbots that message you first: Meta is testing proactive AI chatbots that can remember past interactions and send follow-up messages without user prompting to boost engagement. The goal is to make virtual agents feel more natural and responsive.
5- Accelerating scientific discovery with AI: MIT-backed FutureHouse has launched an AI platform featuring specialized agents that automate tasks such as literature review, hypothesis generation, experimental design, and data analysis. By streamlining repetitive and time-consuming research steps, these tools aim to significantly boost scientific productivity and uncover new breakthroughs faster.
6- AI can help convenience stores spot trends before they happen: Retailers are using AI to analyze sales data and customer behavior to predict product trends in real time. This enables smarter inventory management and higher in-store engagement.
7- A couple tried for 18 years to get pregnant. AI made it happen: Columbia researchers developed STAR, an AI system that uses high-speed imaging and machine learning to locate viable sperm undetectable to humans. The technology helped a couple conceive after nearly two decades of infertility, showing promise for broader use in reproductive medicine.