Ex-Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger joins a16z on AI's chip bottlenecks: memory, packaging, power
a16z · x · 2026-10-09
a16z hosts former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger alongside Raghu Raghuram and Guido Appenzeller to discuss the next wave of semiconductor innovation.
- Drawing on designing Intel's 386/486 processors, Pat explains how AI could transform chip design, but faster design alone won't fix the industry's core problems
- They examine bottlenecks in manufacturing, memory bandwidth, advanced packaging, and power, arguing today's explosion of specialized AI chips will eventually consolidate around fewer architectures
- Emerging topics include new memory technologies, copper-to-optical networking, and energy capacity as a major constraint on AI growth
- A look back at Pat's VMware years asks what virtualization looks like when infrastructure is built for agents rather than humans
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