Techdirt Podcast Episode 446: Mike & Karl Talk AI
from the not-so-opposed dept
There’s a notion that pops up in the comments here on Techdirt that Mike and our writer Karl Bode are deeply opposed in their opinions on AI and engaged in an epic ongoing debate. Alas, the truth is a little less spectacular: while they might have some differences of opinion here and there, they actually agree on most things, and would both prefer to hear (and have) more thoughtful and nuanced discussions about the technology without going to the extremes. By way of demonstration, Karl joins this week’s episode of the podcast for a long conversation with Mike all about AI, its role in our society, the challenges it raises, and where things go from here.
You can also download this episode directly in MP3 format.
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Filed Under: ai, artificial intelligence, podcast
Comments on “Techdirt Podcast Episode 446: Mike & Karl Talk AI”
That’s really a notion that pops up in the comments? Must be missing this, thanks.
How “temporary” in years do you think the RAM shortages & skyrocketing prices for consumers is going to be? I really don’t like seeing you just gloss over how corporate greed wrecked a supply chain with a “Don’t worry, it’ll all blow over. Capitalism says that someone will fill in the gap eventually!”
Re:
RAM is effectively a commodity with multiple providers. You can bet that they are ramping up production. We’ve seen temporary supply shocks in the past on components and they tend not to last.
I don’t think the supply chain was wrecked at all. It’s just that demand outpaced supply. There are solutions to that.
Re: Re:
This is true but it’s not quite as rosy as it sounds. While it is a commodity, there are only a few big suppliers: Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung. The big 3 have 90%+ marketshare. The other brands you see buy from those suppliers. e.g. Kingston/Corsair buy their DRAM chips from Micros/SK Hynix, but make their own modules. iirc both Samsung and SK Hyniax are sold out of production through 2026. Micron’s sold out of HBM, but not sure about regular DRAM. The big 3 have also been busted in the past for price fixing.
But even if that’s not a concern, spinning up new fabs takes years. Assuming they want to make new fabs, there’s nontrivial risk in building new fabs if demand falls. They can ramp up production to a degree by retrofitting existing fabs/lines, but that only goes so far.
Won’t be forever, but it’s gonna be rocky for longer than it might seem at first blush for a commodity. There’s some potential wildcards with stuff like Chinese manufacturers, though.