The Hard Part with Evan McCann cover image

The Hard Part with Evan McCann

Gennady Pekhimenko from CentML

Oct 25, 2024
46:32

Gennady Pekhimenko is the CEO and Co-Founder of CentML.


Gennady is also an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and a Faculty Member at Vector Institute.


Takeaways

  • Genesis of CentML - from academia to industry
  • Commercializing university research
  • Tailwinds behind AI and market opportunities
  • Three Pillars of AI - models, data and hardware
  • Enterprise adoption of AI - trends and insights
  • The future of AI models - commoditization vs. innovation
  • Raising $30M+ from Gradient Ventures, Radical Ventures, Deloitte Ventures, Nvidia, Thomson Reuters Ventures and more
  • Attracting talent - competitive AI job market
  • The UofT AI talent pool with Geoff Hinton, Raquel Urtasun, Aidan Gomez and many more
  • What the federal government should do with the $2.4B in AI funding
  • Why compute in Canada is critical to our AI success
  • The role of Vector Institute
  • Personal growth as a CEO and constantly learning


Chapters

00:00 The Genesis of CentML: A Journey Through Academia and Industry

04:31 Commercializing University Research: The Builder Mindset

07:47 The Tailwinds of AI: Market Opportunities and Challenges

11:01 Three Pillars of AI: Models, Data, and Hardware

15:19 Enterprise Adoption of AI: Trends and Insights

18:37 The Future of AI Models: Commoditization vs. Innovation

21:46 Building a Flexible and Scalable AI Business

25:35 Attracting Talent: Competing in the AI Job Market

29:06 The Power of Networking: The Toronto AI Ecosystem

32:11 Government Initiatives: Building AI Infrastructure in Canada

37:42 AI Adoption in Enterprises: A Gradual Shift

40:57 Personal Growth: The Journey of a Startup CEO


Keywords

CentML, AI, machine learning, commercialization, university research, enterprise adoption, AI infrastructure, talent acquisition, Toronto AI ecosystem, government initiatives

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