Decoder with Nilay Patel

We spent a lot of time here on Decoder talking about electric vehicles and the future of cars and we’re usually talking about passenger vehicles or maybe cargo vans. But there’s another huge industry that can also reap the benefits of electrified transportation: agriculture. I co-hosted the Code Conference this week where I had the opportunity to hangout onstage with Monarch Tractor CEO Praveen Penmetsa. Honestly, this was one of my favorite conversations of the entire event. We are utterly reliant on farming as a species, and farming is utterly reliant on tractors. If we don’t have tractors, we don’t have food. But electrifying farms is hard, and Praveen explained how he and Monarch are trying to tackle that challenge. The ambition is to compete in an open way with closed platforms like John Deere, and Praveen said his goal for the Monarch platform is to be the Android of agriculture. Links: * Electric robot tractors powered by Nvidia AI chips are here [https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/1/23487910/nvidia-jetson-mk-v-electric-autonomous-monarch-tractor-delivery] * John Deere turned tractors into computers — what’s next? [https://www.theverge.com/22533735/john-deere-cto-hindman-decoder-interview-right-to-repair-tractors] * John Deere commits to letting farmers repair their own tractors (kind of) [https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/9/23546323/john-deere-right-to-repair-tractors-agreement] * Monarch Tractors to be manufactured by Foxconn [https://www.farm-equipment.com/articles/20599-monarch-tractors-to-be-manufactured-by-foxconn] * Foxconn begins rolling first Monarch electric tractors off assembly lines in Lordstown [https://electrek.co/2023/04/05/foxconn-first-monarch-electric-tractors-off-assembly-lines-lordstown/] * A sneak peek into Monarch Tractor's vision-based AI technology [https://www.monarchtractor.com/blog/sneak-peek-into-monarch-tractors-vision-based-ai-technology] * CNH Industrial, Monarch Tractor agree electrification technologies deal [https://www.reuters.com/technology/cnh-industrial-monarch-tractor-agree-electrification-technologies-deal-2021-11-03/] Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23659941 [https://www.theverge.com/e/23659941] Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt. It was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Today, we’re bringing you something a little different. The Code Conference was this week, and we had a great time talking live onstage with all of our guests. We’ll be sharing a lot of these conversations here in the coming days, and the first one we’re sharing is my chat with Dr. Lisa Su, the CEO of AMD. Lisa and I spoke for half an hour, and we covered an incredible number of topics, especially about AI and the chip supply chain. The balance of supply and demand is overall in a pretty good place right now, Lisa told us, with the notable exception of these high-end GPUs powering all of the large AI models that everyone’s running. The hottest GPU in the game is Nvidia’s H100 chip. But AMD is working to compete with a new chip Lisa told us about called the MI300 that should be as fast as the H100. You’ll also hear Lisa talk about what companies are doing to increase manufacturing capacity. Finally, Lisa answered questions from the amazing Code audience and talked a lot about how much AMD is using AI inside the company right now. It’s more than you think, although Lisa did say AI is not going to be designing chips all by itself anytime soon. Okay, Dr. Lisa Su, CEO of AMD. Here we go. Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23658688 [https://www.theverge.com/e/23658688] Links: * AI startup Lamini bets future on AMD's Instinct GPUs [https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/26/amd_instinct_ai_lamini/] * Biden signs $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act [https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/9/23298147/biden-chips-act-semiconductors-subsidies-ohio-arizona-plant-china] * Pat Gelsinger came back to turn Intel around — here’s how it’s going [https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/4/23385652/pat-gelsinger-intel-chips-act-ohio-manufacturing-chip-shortage] * Huawei’s chip breakthrough poses new threat to Apple in China — and questions for Washington [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/19/huaweis-chip-breakthrough-poses-new-threat-to-apple-in-china.html] * AMD expands AI product lineup with GPU-only Instinct MI300X [https://www.anandtech.com/show/18915/amd-expands-mi300-family-with-mi300x-gpu-only-192gb-memory] * Microsoft is reportedly helping AMD expand into AI chips [https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/9/23298147/biden-chips-act-semiconductors-subsidies-ohio-arizona-plant-china] * US curbs AI chip exports from Nvidia and AMD to some Middle East countries [https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-restricts-exports-some-nvidia-chips-middle-east-countries-filing-2023-08-30/#:~:text=Sign%20InRegister-,US%20curbs%20AI%20chip%20exports%20from%20Nvidia,to%20some%20Middle%20East%20countries&text=Aug%2030%20(Reuters)%20%2D%20The,countries%20in%20the%20Middle%20East.] * Apple on the iPhone 15 Pro: 'It's Going to be the Best Game Console' [https://www.ign.com/articles/apple-iphone-15-pro-gaming-interview] Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Today, we have a special episode for you. The Code Conference wrapped up this week, and the finale included a rare interview from my Code co-host and CNBC correspondent Julia Boorstin with X CEO Linda Yaccarino. To say the sit-down with Elon Musk’s No. 2 was confrontational would be an understatement. Yaccarino appeared both unprepared to answer tough questions and very combative, especially when asked about comments from former trust and safety head Yoel Roth, who’s become an outspoken critic of the direction of the company since Elon took over. Roth spoke onstage at Code with Kara Swisher just an hour before, where he warned Yaccarino of the risks of the job and spoke about the extreme harassment he’s faced since leaving the company. Yaccarino also gave us some updated stats on X user metrics and claimed the company would turn a profit in 2024. And of course, there were some very terse exchanges concerning whether Elon really plans to start charging a subscription fee to use the platform, if he seriously plans to sue the Anti-Defamation League, and the company’s recent cuts to its election integrity team. It’s a jaw-dropping interview, and you really have to listen to the whole thing. Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt. It was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]