Naveen Rao

Naveen Rao, cofounder and CEO of Unconventional AI, is a visionary in the realm of AI chips and analog computing. He discusses why the 80 years of digital computing may not suffice for AI's future, emphasizing that the brain operates on just 20 watts, contrasting sharply with data centers' massive energy consumption. Naveen explores the physics of causality, arguing for the potential of dynamic analog systems to drive advancements toward AGI. He also shares insights on partnerships with tech giants and the ambitious goal of changing computing paradigms for a sustainable AI future.

Konstantine Buhler, Sequoia partner who backs deep-tech pioneers, and Naveen Rao, serial AI founder building biology-inspired, energy-efficient chips. They discuss why AI’s real bottleneck is power, recreating neural dynamics in silicon, the return of analog-inspired compute, and what it takes to found and fund capital-intensive deep tech startups.

Aaron Ginn, CEO of Hydrohost, shares insights on US-China trade dynamics, especially around technology exports like NVIDIA's H200. Matt Kalish of DraftKings discusses the evolution of sports betting and the launch of his new platform Hardscope, designed for creators. Emil Michael from the DoD outlines collaborations with tech giants like Google for AI security. Blake Scholl of Boom Supersonic celebrates milestones in quiet supersonic travel. Naveen Rao emphasizes energy-efficient AI hardware, while Ofir Ehrlich and Gorkem Yurtseven discuss innovative data solutions and generative media growth.

Anastasios Angelopoulos, creator of LM Arena (Berkeley-born model evaluation platform). Naveen Rao, founder of Unconventional AI (hardware visionary rethinking compute for huge efficiency gains). They unpack on-device open-source agents, rethinking chip and datacenter design for scale and efficiency, the surge in token and compute demand, and how AI reshapes labor and infrastructure.

Naveen Rao, an AI hardware and systems entrepreneur who founded Unconventional AI and previously worked at Databricks, joins to unpack China’s hardware pivot. He explains how domestic chips, cheap power and integrated systems are being scaled. They discuss manufacturing workarounds, efficiency vs brute force strategies, and why new compute paradigms matter.