Jonathan Ross, the Founder and CEO of Groq, discusses the innovative landscape of AI with insights from his experience designing custom chips at Google. He outlines the game-changing potential of Groq's language processing units (LPUs) versus Nvidia’s GPUs, highlighting competitive dynamics and challenges like HBM supply constraints. Ross shares his experiences from a recent tech trip to Saudi Arabia, explores the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, and reveals unique funding strategies vital for growing Groq's infrastructure.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Journey from Google TPU to Groq
Jonathan Ross started Groq after working on Google's TPU for AI training.
He saw a need for faster, more efficient AI inference beyond training.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
CEO Transition Requires Openness
To transition from technical founder to CEO, be open to feedback.
Managing people requires unlearning counterintuitive mistakes through guidance.
insights INSIGHT
LPUs Accelerate AI Inference
Groq's LPUs focus on inference, unlike NVIDIA GPUs which target training.
Inference is the real-time running of AI models for user queries, crucial for efficient AI.
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The race to better compete with AI chip darling Nvidia (NVDA) is well underway. Enter Groq (GROQ.PVT). The company makes what it calls language processing units (LPUs). These LPUs are designed to make large language models run faster and more efficiently, unlike Nvidia GPUs that target training models. Groq’s last capital raise was in August 2024, when it raised $640 million from the likes of BlackRock (BLK) and Cisco (CSCO). The company’s valuation at the time stood at $2.8 billion, a fraction of Nvidia’s more than $3 trillion market cap. It currently clocks in at $3.5 billion, according to Yahoo Finance private markets data. At the helm of Groq is founder and CEO Jonathan Ross. While at Google (GOOG), Ross designed the custom chips that the tech giant would go on to train its AI models on. Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi sits down on the Opening Bid podcast with Ross to discuss his future plans for Groq. Ross is fresh off a trip with other key tech executives to Saudi Arabia, joining President Donald Trump in forging a deeper tech relationship with the country. Ross begins by sharing with Sozzi the conversations he had on the ground in Saudi Arabia.
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