Hard tech

Building the First Data Centers in Space

Building the First Data Centers in Space

Philip Johnston, co-founder and CEO of StarCloud, discusses their pioneering efforts to build data centers in space to address AI's energy demands and terrestrial constraints. He details StarCloud-1's groundbreaking mission, which launched an Nvidia H100 GPU into orbit, and the engineering challenges overcome, such as thermal management and radiation hardening. The conversation covers their ambitious plan for a 88,000-satellite constellation, the shift in investor sentiment towards hard tech, and key advice for deep tech founders.

Sam Altman: "Never a Better Time to Do a Startup"

Sam Altman: "Never a Better Time to Do a Startup"

Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, reflects on the evolution of startups from YC's first batch to the current AI-driven era. He discusses the unprecedented opportunities for ambitious founders, the critical role of startups in distributing AI's power, the importance of conviction against conventional wisdom, and the rapid advancements in AI models, while also addressing safety concerns and envisioning an optimistic future for human agency.

Why Every Satellite Needs Earth | Northwood CEO on a16z

Why Every Satellite Needs Earth | Northwood CEO on a16z

Bridgit Mendler, CEO of Northwood, details the critical bottleneck in the space economy: ground infrastructure. She explains how Northwood's vertically integrated approach is reducing deployment times from years to months, aiming to create a foundational data layer for space, much like cloud computing did for the internet.