Tech. Cars. Machines.

In Lightmatter co-founder Nick Harris, Ph.D, tells us how he’s spending the $800MM entrusted to him by investors. We explore how photonics is reshaping datacenter communications today. The physics of why light beats electricity for data transport, and how Lightmatter’s Passage interconnects and Guide lasers deliver.    0:11 – Welcome & introduction to Nick Harris and Lightmatter  0:49 – Lightmatter’s mission: a new Moore’s Law with light  2:46 – Nick’s origin story: from Micron to MIT to founding Lightmatter  10:35 – Why light beats electricity for moving data  16:12 – The chip “shoreline problem” and inventing Passage  25:00 – The photonic interposer: Lightmatter’s flagship breakthrough  38:19 – What sets Lightmatter apart  42:45 – Back to the original vision: the future of optical computing 

Humans have thought about UFOs and alien creatures descending from the stars for about as long as they have dreamt about having their own self driving cars. A two-day drive in a Tesla, with 96% of miles driven in “self-driving” mode with zero interventions, showed me that consumer self-driving cars are essentially here. Could Space Cows be far behind?  Related episodes include: 60. Alex Kendall, Co Founder & CEO, Wayve 43. Georges Massing, VP MB.OS Automated Driving & E/E Integration, Mercedes-Benz 15. Everybody Hates Tesla, Part 1 16. Everybody Hates Tesla, Part 2 44. Everybody Still Hates Tesla, Part 1 45. Everybody Still Hates Tesla, Part 2

Episode 61: Lasers to the rescue!  Xcimer’s Founder, CEO, and Chief Science Officer Conner Galloway and Co-founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer Alex Valise are building the world’s most powerful gas lasers to ignite fusion energy. With $170MM of capital raised, they are, step-by-step, commercializing scientifically validated concepts to deliver big, beautiful, clean energy.   00:00 Welcome  00:28 Meet Conner, Alex, and Xcimer  12:44 Fusion Basics Explained  18:41 Inside the Fuel Pellet  28:49 Excimer Lasers and Pulse Compression  35:08 Warehouse Scale Facility  41:55 Liquid Wall Target Chamber  49:27 Efficiency and Target Gain  52:04 Roadmap Phoenix to Athena  58:56 Directed Energy Spinoffs  01:00:44 Conclusion

Episode 60: Revolutionizing and Democratizing Autonomous Driving  Alex Kendall, founder and CEO of Wayve, a UK-based company with $1.3 billion of funding from Microsoft, NVIDIA, Softbank and Uber, discusses Wayve’s head start in end-to-end AI for driving, its efficient training and run-time architecture, and its suitability to any car manufacturer.    00:00 Welcome to Tech Cars Machines  01:32 Introduction to Alex Kendall and Wayve  02:00 Wayve’s Autonomous Technology Explained  04:21 The End-to-End AI Approach  06:54 Wayve’s Data Efficiency and Learning  09:13 Alex Kendall’s Background and Journey  12:07 Wayve’s Path to Commercialization  23:22 Wayve’s Competitive Edge and Market Position  25:41 Adoption and Consumer Perception of Autonomous Vehicles  31:56 Customization and OEM Integration  35:51 Future of Autonomous Driving and Industry Impact 

Episode 59: The Cherry on Top of Decades of Fusion Development   Brandon Sorbom, Chief Science Officer and Co-founder of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, is helping spend $3+ billion to turn hydrogen into abundant, safe and readily available energy. In our fourth fusion episode, Brandon educates us on the most time-tested approach to fusion which uses powerful magnets. CFS hopes to deliver commercial energy by the early 2030s.  0:00 Introduction  02:33 The Journey from MIT to Commonwealth Fusion Systems  04:30 Securing Funding and Building Credibility  05:44 Understanding Fusion and Tokamaks  08:44 Brandon’s Personal Journey to Fusion  12:34 Explaining the Tokamak and Fusion Process  28:23 Neutrons and Energy Conversion  31:39 High Temperature Superconducting Material  39:26 Scaling Up Production and Cost Considerations  42:53 The SPARC Prototype and Its Challenges  48:23 Transitioning from Spark to ARC  01:04:59 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 

Episode 58: A Novel Path to Fusion Energy  Will Regan, President and Co-founder of Pacific Fusion, is helping spend $1+ billion to mimic the sun’s method for producing energy. In our third fusion episode, Will educates us on inertial confinement. He discusses the advancements that help smooth Pacific Fusion’s path to delivering commercial energy by the mid-2030s.  00:00 Welcome to Tech Cars Episode 58  04:09 Introduction to Pacific Fusion  07:24 Will Regan’s Journey to Pacific Fusion  10:57 Explaining Fusion and Inertial Confinement  19:12 The Engineering and Science Behind Fusion  21:15 Physical Description of Pacific Fusion’s Facility  26:03 Understanding Marx Generators  29:16 Fusion Chamber and Magnetic Compression  32:34 Energy Output and Power Plant Efficiency  35:17 Handling Neutrons and Chamber Protection  38:55 Manufacturability and Supply Chain 

“Twisty donuts” if you lean Republican, “French cruller” if you lean left. CEO and Co-founder Brian Berzin, describes how this shape and a focus on manufacturability will allow Thea Energy to deliver fusion energy in a cost-competitive manner.   Following up on last week’s episode with Dr. Scott Hsu of Lowercarbon Capital, Brian discusses the innovative approach Thea Energy is taking to commercialize fusion energy. The conversation covers the company’s origins in the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, and their groundbreaking ‘stellarator’ design. Brian explains how modularization, software and AI helps overcome the fiendishly difficult construction of stellerators. He shares insights into the company’s rapid iteration and development cycles, culminating in their goal to scale up to commercial levels.     00:00 Welcome to the Fusion Energy Series  01:06 Introducing Brian Berzin and Thea Energy  11:46 Technical and Financial Milestones  14:54 Understanding Fusion: A Simplified Explanation  23:58 Challenges and Breakthroughs in Stellerators  29:30 Innovations in Superconducting Magnets  34:52 The Role of Software in Magnet Control  41:07 Scaling Up to Commercial Relevance  48:45 First Walls and Blankets in Fusion Reactors  51:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Episode 57: $10 billion and the Universe’s Most Powerful Energy Source: Fusion  Why have the biggest names (such as Bill Gates, Lowercarbon Capital, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Google and Sam Altman) put billions into dozens of fusion energy companies? An engaging, accessible discussion with Dr. Scott Hsu on the fascinating world and private company ecosystem of the fusion energy. Scott was with with the DOE where he helped allocate $100MM of fusion R&D investment. He is now Partner at Lowercarbon Capital. We explore the fundamentals of fusion, compare magnetic and inertial confinement methods, and discuss innovative companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Pacific Fusion, Thea Energy, Xcimer and Avalanche Energy. Scott explains why there’s new hope for making fusion commercially viable in the coming years. He highlights the challenges and opportunities in building the necessary infrastructure.    00:00 Introduction  01:42 Scott’s Background and Career  02:39 Lowercarbon Capital and Fusion Investments  10:42 Fusion Basics and Scientific Principles  19:57 Magnetic and Inertial Fusion Approaches  22:52 Understanding the Magnetic Confinement (Commonwealth, Thea)  23:35 Challenges of Plasma Confinement  25:31 Innovations in Modern Tokamaks  29:17 Exploring Alternative Fusion Devices (Pacific Fusion, Avalanche)  32:40 Laser Inertial Confinement Fusion (Xcimer)  41:26 Future of Fusion Energy

Protecting $500 billion dollars of real estate value: Mike Zukerman, CEO of CSAA, an $8 billion carrier of insurance distributed through AAA Clubs, tells how technology helps protect that massive asset. He tells us how enterprise technology can “surprise and delight” CSAA’s 3 million policy holders, and how self-driving cars will change insurance strategy.    00:00 Introduction to Mike Zukerman & CSAA  01:40 Understanding CSAA and Its Business  04:24 Remote Work and Employee Satisfaction  08:30 Mike Zukerman’s Background and Career Journey  11:57 The Future of Auto Insurance and Autonomous Vehicles  18:51 Understanding Auto and Home Insurance Regulations  20:10 Challenges of Homeowners Insurance in California  21:55 Innovative Wildfire Mitigation Technologies  29:16 Leveraging AI for Customer Delight in Insurance  35:03 Why CSAA is a Great Place to Work

Jeff Huebner, Head of Mobilitas, discusses how he helps his commercial transportation networks manage their second-high expense: insurance. Ride sharing networks, last-mile delivery networks, and autonomous vehicle companies are his customers, and an enormous amount of customization and data ingestion and processing is involved.  00:00 Introduction  00:53  Jeff Hubner’s Background and Reconnection  01:48  Understanding AAA, CSAA, and Mobilitas  04:33  Mobils’ Mission and Services  06:25  Jeff Hubner’s Career Journey  08:35  Risk Management and Commercial Insurance  11:16  Market Trends and Innovations  24:21  Data Integration and Risk Management  32:37  Advances in Vehicle Technologies  34:47  Final Thoughts