Amelia's Weekly Fish Fry

Solving the Memory Wall: A Deep Dive into AI Inference with Sandra Rivera

This week, I'm excited to welcome Sandra Rivera from VSORA! We dive into a discussion on why AI inference is essential for deployment at scale, specifically focusing on how VSORA’s patented software architecture addresses the "memory wall" by collapsing memory layers. We explore their recent tape-out, which promises approximately 3X the performance at half the power of leading GPUs. We also chat about deployment use cases, the need for low latency and high determinism, future plans for OEM modules and MLPerf benchmarking, and even get a brief look into Sandra’s family llama farm.

ChipStack AI Super Agent: Cadence’s New Era for Silicon Verification

In this week’s Fish Fry, I’m excited to welcome back Rob Knoth from Cadence Design Systems! Rob and I dive into a major shift in electronic design automation: the direct integration of artificial intelligence into the design workflow. Rob and I discuss the details of Cadence’s newest innovation - the ChipStack AI Super Agent and Cadence’s overarching strategies of 'design for AI' and 'AI for design. We also explore the core challenges currently facing verification engineers, and examine how the ChipStack AI Super Agent is set to bring predictability and acceleration to your next design process.

Powering AI: Ferric’s IVR Revolution for High‑Performance Processors

My podcast guest this week is Ferric CEO Noah Sturcken. Noah and I discuss how Ferric's innovations—specifically their ferromagnetic materials and on-chip power converters—are addressing the critical power, efficiency, and integration hurdles facing today's AI processors. We also explore how IVRs enable higher instantaneous power delivery, simplify board design, and reshape processor architecture, and where Noah sees Ferric headed in the future. 

Driving the Code: Where the Rubber Meets the Software-Defined Road

In this week’s Fish Fry we’re casting our line into one of the most transformative shifts happening in the automotive industry today: the rise of software-defined systems! Nitish Rao from MathWorks and I take a closer look at which vehicle functions are best handled by AI-driven systems, and which still depend on the reliability of traditional control software and how virtual ECUs and digital twins enable simulation and validation before real hardware. We also discuss a question many engineers are asking: can software and AI actually reduce hardware costs?

It Simply Works! SEGGER, emApps, and the Future of Embedded Systems Development

Embedded Systems take center stage in this week’s podcast! My guest is Rolf Segger from SEGGER! Rolf and I dive deep into their extensive embedded solutions portfolio. This includes a close look at their RTOS, debuggers, IoT offerings, and their distinctive approach to licensing and support. We will also explore the fascinating concept of emApps, which represents an intriguing vision for embedded system design and is poised to shape the future of smart device development.

From High‑Mix Production to Humanoids: Robotiq’s Push for Accessible Automation

Are you ready for some robots?! We're not talking about just any robots; this week we're focusing on the quiet revolution of grippers, sensors, and collaborative automation taking place on our factory floors. My guest is Jen Kwiatkowski from Robotiq! Jen and I dive deep into the world of collaborative robotics. We explore the future of human-robot interaction in manufacturing, how Robotiq is solving key industry challenges, and the crucial role that accessibility and ease-of-use play in driving the adoption of automation.

Tensilica HiFi iQ DSP: Voice AI Meets Immersive Automotive Audio

In this week’s podcast, Amol Borkar from Cadence and I explore the major trends in high-performance audio and voice AI. We also investigate how the demanding new use cases in automotive are dramatically increasing audio workloads and how Tensilica HiFi iQ DSP is addressing the increasing requirements for voice AI and immersive audio.

Revolution at the Speed of Light: How PhotonDelta Building a Global Photonics Ecosystem

This week we are diving deep into a revolution happening at the speed of light: the rise of photonic technology! My special guest is Dr. Abdul Rahim from PhotonDelta. Abdul and I discuss how photonic chips can address the energy efficiency demands posed by the current and projected growth of AI workloads, the role that standards will play in the next wave of hardware innovation, and key technical challenges currently involved in reliably and cost-effectively integrating photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) with existing CMOS technology. 

The Trifecta of 2026: AI Agents, Hybrid Wireless, and the Future of Embedded Engineering

In this week’s podcast, we’re exploring the three trends poised to redefine how we design, simulate, and deploy complex systems in 2026 and beyond: agentic AI and the model context protocol for tool integration, hybrid terrestrial and non‑terrestrial wireless networks, and moving AI onto embedded hardware using virtual sensing and reduced‑order models. My guests, Seth DeLand and Houman Zarrinkoub from MathWorks, and I explore the practical problems in engineering workflows driving interest in agentic AI, the engineering challenges of hybrid terrestrial and non‑terrestrial wireless networks, and how smaller AI models can enable faster simulation and real‑time system responses.

Robotic Real-Time Reasoning: How Palladyne AI is Shaping the Future of Autonomous Perception

This week's podcast is all about about autonomous systems, advanced machine intelligence and how Palladyne AI is revolutionizing how robots and drones perceive and interact with the world. My guest is Palladyne AI Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder Dr. Denis Garagić! Denis and I discuss the secrets behind their proprietary technology, what sets them apart from other AI solutions that power and drones, their unique approach to AI challenges, and how Palladyne AI approaches the ethical considerations of deploying its AI technology