TechSurge: Deep Tech Podcast

TechSurge is sponsored by Notion. From product roadmaps to investor updates, Notion is where modern teams plan, write, and ship together. Get started at http://notion.dev/techsurge . Search began as a way to find pages. AI is turning it into a way to ask, reason, decide, and act. Search has always been more than a technical problem. It is a way of organising knowledge, connecting intent with infor...

Semiconductors have moved from the background of the technology stack to the center of the AI economy. What used to be a specialized industry discussed mostly by engineers and investors is now shaping the speed, cost, and strategic direction of modern computing. In this episode of TechSurge, host Michael Marks speaks with Stacy Rasgon, Managing Director and Senior Analyst covering U.S. semiconduct...

For most of human history, space has been a place we visited. The next chapter may be about building there. For decades, space was the domain of governments, astronauts, and science fiction. Today, falling launch costs, reusable rockets, and a new generation of ambitious founders are turning orbit into something else entirely: a place to build. The question is no longer whether humanity can constr...

For years, the United States told itself a reassuring story: China could manufacture and copy, but it couldn't innovate. That story is no longer credible. From DeepSeek's compute-efficient AI model to BYD's dominance of the global EV market, China is producing both volume and quality across sectors that matter. The question is no longer whether China can compete — it's whether the United States is...

For thirty years, the United States largely ignored critical minerals. We mined less, processed less, and stockpiled less — while China quietly built the most dominant mineral supply chain in modern history. When China imposed rare earth export restrictions in 2024, manufacturers from Detroit to Tokyo scrambled. The invisible inputs powering electric vehicles, semiconductors, AI data centers, and...

For years, crypto policy in the United States was defined less by clear rules than by the threat of enforcement. Startups and institutions building in the space operated in a gray zone: no clear guidance, no path to compliance, and always the possibility of a regulatory hammer coming down. In 2025, that began to change. In this episode of TechSurge, host Sriram Viswanathan speaks with Commissioner...

Digital imaging is so ubiquitous today that it’s easy to forget how improbable it once was. In this episode of TechSurge , guest host Nic Brathwaite sits down with Dr. Eric Fossum, inventor of the CMOS active pixel image sensor, to unpack the breakthrough that made it possible to embed cameras into billions of devices and the deeper lessons behind it. Eric explains how his work began not with cons...

As artificial intelligence becomes a strategic capability for nations as well as companies, questions of governance, safety, and geopolitical competition are moving to the forefront. In this episode of TechSurge, host Sriram Viswanathan speaks with Helen Toner, Interim Executive Director of the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown and a former OpenAI board member, about...

As generative AI systems move from novelty to infrastructure, questions of safety, trust, and governance are becoming urgent. In this episode of TechSurge, host Sriram Viswanathan is joined by Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, CEO of Humane Intelligence PBC and responsible AI Pioneer, about what AI safety really means and why the industry may be focusing on the wrong problems. Rumman argues that the most over...

As global supply chains fracture, AI reshapes productivity, and technology becomes a core instrument of national power, India is making an ambitious push to redefine its role in the world economy from IT services provider to deep tech superpower. In the season 2 premiere of  TechSurge, host Sriram Viswanathan brings together three defining perspectives to examine how India is positioned to become...

TechSurge returns for an all-new season exploring the forces reshaping the future of deep tech, where breakthrough innovation meets real-world market dynamics. In season 2, we dive deeper into the intersection of emerging technology, market forces, and entrepreneurial discovery, featuring candid conversations with Silicon Valley leaders, visionary founders, investors, and bold builders shaping the...

In TechSurge’s Season 1 Finale episode, we explore an important debate: should AI development be open source or closed?  AI technology leader and UN Senior Fellow Senthil Kumar joins Michael Marks for a deep dive into one of the most consequential debates in artificial intelligence, exploring the fundamental tensions between democratizing AI access and maintaining safety controls. Sparked by DeepS...

Legendary technologist and investor Bill Tai joins our latest episode for a wide-ranging conversation spanning decades of Silicon Valley innovation. Bill shares his remarkable journey from being employee #1 at TSMC to becoming one of the first seed investors in Zoom and Canva, and his early embrace of Bitcoin when it was priced at just 7 cents. The conversation explores Bill's unique investment ph...

Will AI displace more jobs than it creates? How can the U.S. win the AI race? How can AI benefits be evenly distributed across businesses and society? We explore these questions and more as Sriram Viswanathan sits down with Ronnie Chatterji, Chief Economist at OpenAI, for an in-depth exploration of AI's economic impact and policy implications. Ronnie brings a unique perspective, having served as a...

In this episode of TechSurge, host Sriram Viswanathan sits down with Nishant Batra, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer at Nokia, for a deep dive into the evolving landscape of telecom and wireless technology. Nishant shares insights into the seismic shifts transforming network infrastructure—from core networks to edge computing—and discusses how Nokia leverages artificial intelligence to optimi...

Competition, growth, tariffs, hacks, AI – what does it take to be an effective leader today? John Chambers, former CEO and Executive Chairman of Cisco and founder of JC2 Ventures, joins TechSurge host Sriram Viswanathan to share valuable wisdom on leading and growing businesses through times of significant change. As a leader who has transitioned from the c-suite to venture capital and now mentori...

MIT President Emeritus Dr. Rafael Reif joins host Michael Marks for a discussion about the state of U.S. competitiveness in technology, university research funding, current immigration policy, and more. Reif explains why universities remain the innovation engines of economies, educating top talent and generating the foundational research that powers emerging tech and creates new industries. He can...

Bobby Yerramilli-Rao, Chief Strategy Officer at Microsoft, joins TechSurge host Sriram Viswanathan to offer a rare glimpse into the strategic playbook of one of the world’s most powerful tech companies. Bobby shares how the company navigates today’s biggest technology paradigm shifts, placing bets with trillion-dollar implications. Touching on Microsoft’s AI strategy, OpenAI partnership, quantum c...

In this episode of TechSurge, host Sriram Viswanathan sits down with Charlie Giancarlo, Chairman and CEO of Pure Storage, to discuss the evolution and future of data storage in the digital age. Charlie shares insights from his career spanning his pivotal role in Cisco's success as a networking pioneer, to his leadership in transforming Pure Storage into a leader in innovative storage solutions. Th...

Many in venture capital and biopharma are anointing artificial intelligence the savior of drug discovery—but what can AI actually do? In this eye-opening episode, Michael Marks sits down with Mike Nohaile, CEO of Prellis Biologics, to explore the hype versus reality in AI-enabled drug discovery. Mike details why, despite significant breakthroughs like AlphaFold and recent Nobel Prize win for compu...

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves?  Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthr...

With global economic alliances shifting and new threats emerging, will the U.S. maintain its dominance in an increasingly complex world?  From chips to cyberterrorist threats to cryptocurrency, battles for global dominance are no longer only fought on the battlefield—they're playing out in markets, boardrooms, and cyberspace. In this episode, we sit down with Juan Zarate, a key member of the post-...

The world is evolving faster than ever – how will we keep up? From AI breakthroughs to global supply chain disruptions, the forces shaping business and technology today are relentless. In this episode of the TechSurge Deep Tech VC Podcast, we sit down with Bob Sternfels, Global Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company, the global consulting firm who has been on the frontlines of helping business...

The future of wireless technology is unfolding, are you ready for what's next? How can Intel regain market dominance? How will AI and IOT shape the next generation of wireless? What are the challenges in transitioning to 5G, NextG, and beyond? How will academia and the startup world intersect in the 21st century economy?  We explore these questions and more in our latest episode of the TechSurge D...

In this episode, host Michael Marks dives into the transformative role of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Michael is joined by Dr. Alex Sardiña of WhiteRabbit.ai and Kalyan Sivasilam of 5C Network, two early adopters bringing AI to medicine through sharply contrasting market models in the U.S. and India, respectively. The discussion unpacks how AI is revolutionizing diagnostics, helping to...