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Hardware, Semiconductors & Computing podcasts

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Top 10 Hardware, Semiconductors & Computing Podcasts of 2026

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Moore’s Lobby56 min

Inside a Multi-$Billion IP Engine Driving IC and EDA Innovations

The semiconductor landscape is changing faster than ever. Chips now power everything from AI to advanced automotive systems. At the heart of this rapid revolution is semiconductor intellectual property (IP). In this episode, Daniel Bogdanoff sits down with John Koeter of Synopsys. They explore how pre-verified silicon blocks accelerate chip design. They also discuss the massive shift toward multi-die systems and the future role of AI in engineering. Accelerating Chip Design with Pre-Verified IP and Multi-Die Architectures As Moore's law slows down, chip designers face extreme physical challenges. Designing a complex system-on-chip (SoC) from scratch is no longer viable. Companies rely on proven IP blocks to speed up time-to-market and ensure silicon success. Today, the industry is transitioning to multi-die systems. Instead of one massive chip, designers stack multiple specialized chiplets in advanced packages. This transition introduces complex thermal and power challenges that require highly accurate modeling. System on a Chip (SoC): An integrated circuit that combines all necessary electronic circuits and parts on a single chip. Multi-Die Systems (Chiplets): An architecture where multiple specialized dies are combined in a single package to maximize performance. Model to Hardware Correlation (MHC): The practice of ensuring pre-silicon simulation models accurately predict real-world post-silicon behaviors. Managing thermal distribution is the biggest hurdle in 3D IC design. Stacking chips creates intense hotspots. These hotspots can crack or delaminate packages if unmanaged. Engineers must use advanced simulation tools to model these thermal characteristics early in the design cycle.

The EEcosystem Podcast43 min

Agentic AI is Transforming Engineering Workflows: Where it belongs. Where it doesn't.

AI is already transforming hardware engineering. In this episode, Judy Warner and AllSpice co-founder and CEO Valentina Ratner explore where AI belongs in the workflow and where it doesn’t. They discuss AI-assisted design reviews, deterministic automation, agent-to-agent workflows, trustworthy data, measurable ROI, and why engineering judgment and final approval must remain firmly in human hands. About the guest: Valentina Ratner is the co-founder and CEO of AllSpice. An engineer by background, she co-founded AllSpice to reduce the repetitive, manual work surrounding electronics development and give engineering teams more time for design, discovery, and high-value decision-making. Keysight EDA.

The Circuit51 min

Conversation with Ayar Labs CEO Mark Wade on Silicon Photonics, Co-Packaged Optics, and Next-Gen AI Infrastructure

In this episode of The Circuit, hosts Ben Bajarin n and Jay Goldberg speak with Mark Wade, CEO of IR Labs, and Jesse Leiter, VP of Capital Strategy and Investor Relations. The conversation focuses on the necessity of solving the interconnect bottleneck in large-scale AI data centers by transitioning to optical connectivity. Mark explains the immense complexity of integrating optical engines into advanced CMOS nodes and highlights how the release of ChatGPT accelerated the market's demand for these large-scale computing solutions. Additionally, the discussion explores IR Labs' strategic reliance on leading-edge foundries like TSMC, their ecosystem partnerships with tech giants like NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel, and their calculated funding strategy aimed at an eventual IPO in a market projected to reach $30 to $50 billion by 2030

The Amp Hour Electronics Podcast1 hr 6 min

The Walmart Greeter of Electronics

Dave and Chris catch up on Dave’s visit to the University of Sydney Open Day, the shift toward practical hands-on engineering education, and open-source robotics like the Seeed Studio SO-101 and Hugging Face Micro Duck. They also discuss calculator forensics, Dave mentoring his intern Dylan through voltage regulator selection, AI-assisted PCB layout tools, why Chris wants to be “the Walmart greeter of electronics,” reverse-engineering the Rigol DNA800 network analyzer, Dave’s classic toaster design story, and news from Espressif and Build Australia. Timeline Open Day at Sydney Uni : Dave discusses taking his son Sagan to the University of Sydney Open Day and wondering where all of their engineering graduates end up working. (00:00:45) Where Do Sydney Uni EE Grads Go? : They speculate on why University of Sydney graduates rarely show up in practical engineering job applicant pools, noting high international student enrollment and potential moves into fintech or graduate school. (00:02:30) Practical Engineering Education : Dave expresses surprise at the massive emphasis on practical, first-year hands-on projects across all engineering disciplines at Sydney Uni compared to past decades. (00:05:15) US vs. Australian Engineering Schools : Chris and Dave compare recruitment dynamics, big state universities like Michigan and UIUC, and smaller elite institutions like Rose-Hulman, Olin, and Harvey Mudd. (00:07:30) Larry Sears and Campus Makerspaces : Chris remembers past guest Larry Sears and his donation to build the 50,000 sq. ft. Sears think[box] makerspace at Case Western Reserve, comparing it to institutional makerspaces at Georgia Tech and Duke. (00:10:15) School Calendars & High School STEM : A quick look at Australian vs. US academic calendars and the rise of high school robotics programs like FIRST Robotics and Lego competitions. (00:13:45) Seeed Studio SO-101 Robot Arm : Chris shares his excitement about assembling the open-source SO-101 robot arm kit from Seeed Studio for trade show demos, using leader-follower training and Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models. (00:15:30) Hugging Face & Micro Duck Robot : They talk about Nvidia’s acquisition memes ($12.96B ASCII easter egg decoding to the hugging face emoji) and Pollen Robotics / Hugging Face’s upcoming $400 open-source Micro Duck robot kit. (00:20:15) Mentoring Dylan on Voltage Regulators : Dave talks about guiding his second-year intern, Dylan, through parametric searching to pick a 3V fixed regulator for an ESP32-based product. (00:24:00) LDO Stability & Package Selection : Dave delivers an impromptu masterclass on SOT-23 vs. SO-8 packages, LDO loop stability at microamp quiescent currents, transient responses for LCD/Bluetooth burst currents, and dielectric differences between Y5V and X7R capacitors. (00:27:30) AI PCB Design & Astra Announcement : They review OpenAI’s Astra demo showing automated KiCad schematic generation and live 4-layer PCB layout routing. (00:33:15) The Walmart Greeter of Electronics : Chris explains why he refuses to gatekeep hardware design as AI layout tools lower the barrier to entry, preferring to be “the Walmart greeter of electronics” welcoming newcomers into the field. (00:35:15) Debugging & The Middle Gap : They analyze the gap between simple AI-generated microcontroller boards and complex high-speed multi-gigabit hardware, questioning where new engineers will learn root-cause debugging when boards fail. (00:37:30) History of Auto-Routers : Dave points out that automated PCB placement, auto-routing, and neural net hype have existed in EDA tools for over 30 to 40 years. (00:40:15) KiCad, Bezier Curves, and Trace Cloning : Dylan asks why KiCad’s schematic editor supports Bezier curves, and Chris highlights past guest Ian Scott Johnson contributing trace characteristic cloning features to KiCad. (00:43:00) The Power of Open Formats : Chris emphasizes how text-based open formats like KiCad, FreeCAD, and Blender allow AI tools to hook into hardware design, referencing past guest Robert Fennis and open FEM solvers. (00:44:45) AI in Semiconductor Design : They touch on an Asianometry video covering Synopsys and Cadence AI chip design tools, stock market drops, and token-based pricing models. (00:46:30) Reverse Engineering the Rigol DNA800 Scope : Dave details tearing down and reverse-engineering the RF board on Rigol’s DNA800 (Digital Network Analyzer / VNA scope). (00:48:00) RF PCB Layout Techniques : They examine gold-shielded PCB arenas, surface traces vs. inner-layer vias, and unusual stripline couplers feeding IF signals back into the local oscillator. (00:50:45) Leaving Mistakes in Videos : Dave discusses accidentally misidentifying a DAC as an ADC in his teardown video and leaving the mistake in to show authentic reverse-engineering. (00:54:00) The Toaster Designer Story : Inspired by the book Red Rising calling robots “toasters,” Dave retells his classic story of turning down a job designing a constant-temperature toaster controller because “toaster repairman/designer” was an old forum running joke. (00:55:45) The Toaster Chip Legacy : Chris references Episode 541 where they previously discussed dedicated toaster ASICs. (00:58:00) Edge Lab Live at Electronica : Chris mentions Edge Lab Live running a hands-on engineering lab at Electronica in Munich this November . (00:59:15) Espressif Launches Linux BSP : Chris highlights Espressif quietly launching a Linux BSP for the ESP32-P4 chip, as shared on the Contextual Electronics forum thread . (00:59:45) Build Australia YouTube Creator Job : Dave shares a job opening from Build Australia seeking a YouTube creator to visit and film local Australian hardware and manufacturing companies. (01:00:30)

Hackaday Podcast1 hr 10 min

Ep 387: Superhuman Clocks, CAN in USB-C, and the Joys of Bare Metal

This week, Hackaday Editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi start the episode off by discussing the latest CircuitPython developments before covering some impressive reverse engineering efforts, the benefits of modeling your projects in 3D, and some of the most incredible timepieces that have ever graced the pages of Hackaday. You'll also hear about the fascinating potential of combing 3D and UV printing, Linux on the ESP32, and a virtual TV station that pulls from the Internet Archive. The episode wraps up with a Hackaday Europe double-feature: one talk extols the virtues of keeping things simple through bare metal development, while the other covers off-world hacks and fixes that will make you want

EE Times Current57 min

Why Computing With Time Gives Neuromorphic AI an Edge

In this month's Brains and Machines , Dr. Ryad Benosman discusses event-based vision, retinal prosthetics, and neuromorphic startups with Dr. Sunny Bains of University College London. A co-founder of Prophesee, he explains why he believes AI's future must come from neuromorphic engineering. Discussion follows with Dr. Giulia D’Angelo from the Czech Technical University in Prague and Professor Ralph Etienne-Cummings of Johns Hopkins University.

Embedded1 hr 13 min

534: I Think We'll Add a Head

Aaed Musa joins us to talk about building robot dogs, custom actuators, and his YouTube channel. He shares how he moved from 3D-printing servo robots in his parents' garage to designing capstan drives, and how he uses reinforcement learning to train quadrupedal walking gaits. We also talk about his senior design project (CARA 2.0), his Spider-Man web-shooter build, lessons in storytelling and video editing, and why he's starting a company to bring friendly, expressive quadrupeds into the home. Aaed Musa is a mechanical engineering graduate from Purdue University, a hardware creator on YouTube, and co-founder of the robotics startup Mecha. DISCUSSION RESOURCES & LINKS AAED'S CHANNELS & PROJECTS: Aaed Musa on YouTube : Project videos covering quadrupedal robot dogs , Spider-Man web shooters , and custom actuators . Oh, and planetary gears . More detailed project write ups are under projects on his personal site , including CARA 2.0 . Github repository Robots Everywhere with Aaed Musa | The Amp Hour ROBOTICS & ACTUATOR TECH: Dyneema DM20: synthetic rope with zero creep used in zero-backlash capstan drives NVIDIA Isaac Sim : simulation and reinforcement learning environment for robotics OpenMV : Very smart MicroPython-powered machine vision modules. Kwabena Agyeman has spoken with us about OpenMV before: 497: Everyone Likes Tiny 477: One Thousand New Instructions 212: You Are in Seaworld SOME YOUTUBE CHANNELS MENTIONED: Good 3d printing youtube channels: 3DPrintingNerd CNCKitchen MadeWithLayers Jeremy_Fielding : great for explaining how things work and coming at engineering from a non engineering direction (Embedded 385: I Just Wanted an Industrial Arm ) James Bruton : Robot dogs! Mark Rober has fantastic storytelling and approachable engineering. Stuff Made Here has robots and gadgets, generally a broad scope of engineering.

Embedded Insiders35 min

Next Gen Device Design & The Current State of SDVs

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Embedded Insiders, Silicon Labs CTO Daniel Cooley dives into next-gen device design. Specifically, we discuss the significant design shifts for connected devices, the important system-level decisions engineers need to get right early in the design process, and how Silicon Labs helps reduce design complexity. Next, Rich and Andrew Hunter, a Senior Vice President with Infineon Technologies , discuss the current state of software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Although plenty of predictions and trends surround the technology, it may not be progressing as fast as some expect. For more information,

AI with Sally Ward-Foxton16 min

AI in the Software Defined Vehicle

In this podcast, Sally talks to Amir BarNiv, VP of Strategic Marketing for Automotive Ethernet at Infineon. As AI becomes an increasingly important part of the software defined vehicle, a different architecture is needed in the car. So what does the AI-powered vehicle actually look like—and why is the industry moving toward centralized computing and zonal architectures?