875: How Semiconductors Are Made (And Fuel the AI Boom), with Kai Beckmann

Why are semiconductors so essential in this digital age, and how are they made? Jon Krohn speaks to electronics CEO Kai Beckmann about Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s intricate manufacturing process, how we can use AI to develop materials that power next-gen AI technologies, and how a chip with the processing power of the human brain might one day be able to run on the power of a low-watt light bulb. Additional materials: www.superdatascience.com/875 This episode is brought to you by the Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA. Interested in sponsoring a SuperDataScience Podcast episode? Email natalie@superdatascience.com for sponsorship information. In this episode you will learn: (06:26) How Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany supports groundbreaking developments in AI  (13:42) Material science’s biggest challenges for AI  (29:55) What heterogeneous integration is (34:37) How optical tech influences the electronics industry  (49:04) Navigating upturns and downturns in the semiconductor industry  (53:08) How AI regulations benefit humanity