Vik's Newsletter

Vik's Newsletter

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What Chip Design Can Learn from Supersonic Jets
Lessons from Boom Supersonic’s engineering culture and what they mean for the future of chip design.
 • 
Vikram Sekar
20
The Manufacturing Challenge Behind Nvidia’s Plan to Mount AI Chips Directly on PCB Platforms
Is substrate-like PCB technology sufficiently ready to replace ABF substrates that are ubiquitous in AI chips today?
 • 
Vikram Sekar
How to Escape the Corporate Rut for Midcareer Chip Engineers
Simple ideas to keep your paycheck, grow skills, and enjoy the work again.
 • 
Vikram Sekar
2
A Primer on Transformer Architecture: Model Parameter Calculations, Estimating GPT-5 Architecture
A detailed look at transformers, the role of attention, and decoder-only architecture; Learning to count model parameters based on architecture and…
 • 
Vikram Sekar
The Decline of MATLAB: What Engineers Should Learn Instead
A frank look at why Python and Rust is the future of the hardware programming stack.
 • 
Vikram Sekar
14

July 2025

🍻 Semi Pub Quiz #1 Answers
With short explanations and further reading materials.
 • 
Vikram Sekar
 and 
Samantha Iyer
🍻 Semi Pub Quiz #1
It's hump day, and who says you can't have an online pub quiz.
 • 
Vikram Sekar
 and 
Samantha Iyer
10
Why the Future of RF Amplification in Satellites is Solid-State Devices on GaN
Exploring the technology, trade-offs, and system-level impact of GaN-based power amplifiers that are slowly replacing vacuum tube technology used in…
 • 
Vikram Sekar
 and 
Gregory Junek
Understanding High-Voltage DC Power Architectures for AI Megafactories
Why traditional designs cannot power GigaWatt-class datacenters, and what new power system architectures are evolving to meet the demand.
 • 
Vikram Sekar
2
A Detailed Playbook to Leveling Up Your Meetings, Mentorship, and Career Conversations
6 structured questioning frameworks that every engineer needs in their toolkit to navigate complex projects and people.
 • 
Vikram Sekar
Passion versus Practicality in Engineering Careers
A framework for choosing your specialization focus when industry trends and personal interests don’t align.
 • 
Vikram Sekar
Why Building Smarter EDA Tools Is Key To Winning The AI Era
If AI is the gold prize, AI-enabled EDA tools are the picks and shovels. Why traditional chip design tools are stuck in the past, and how new AI-first…
 • 
Vikram Sekar
© 2025 Vikram Sekar
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