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Silicon Futures is a neXt Curve reThink Podcast series on AI and semiconductor tech and the industry topics that matter.

In this October Silicon Futures episode of the neXt Curve podcast, Leonard Lee joins Karl Freund (Cambrian AI Research) and Jim McGregor (Tirias Research) to review a packed month of AI, data center, silicon, and quantum headlines.

They discuss major financing and M&A items including Anthropic’s IPO/S-1 and infrastructure commitments, Amazon’s acquisition of Duck Labs, SpaceX GPU lease commitments, SK Hynix pulling back an SSD subsidiary listing, Intel’s reported acquisition of Classiq for quantum software, and reports that Marvell is interested in acquiring Lumentum, weighing strategic optical networking benefits against difficult economics.

The group highlights Qualcomm’s HBC stacked-memory milestone aimed at data center inference, broader shifts toward heterogeneous architectures and AI routing/orchestration for multi-model workloads, skepticism about “scale-across” networking, Nvidia’s DSX modular data center push to reduce build times amid labor constraints.

Applied Materials’ EPIC Center to accelerate process innovation, and market volatility tied to high expectations, monetization concerns, debt-funded AI buildouts, and neocloud dynamics.

In this episode, Leonard, Karl and Jim talk about....

➡️ (01:12) October headlines in silicon, AI, and quantum.
➡️ (04:08) Thoughts on Qualcomm’s HBC (High Bandwidth Compute) validation.
➡️ (07:03) The AI shift toward inference and memory stacking trend.
➡️ (10:03) Ramping topics of model routing for inference and agentic AI.
➡️ (11:58) DEBATE: Is heterogeneous computing for AI supercomputing new?
➡️ (15:22) Insights into Marvel’sl intent to acquire Lumentum.
➡️ (16:49) DEBATE: Is and will scale-across be a thing in the age of AI inference?
➡️ (19:14) Big news out of NVIDIA GTC Berlin and modular data centers.
➡️ (20:50) What does the DSX Pod mean for AI infrastructure deployments?
➡️ (23:55) Accelerating process technology with Applied Materials EPIC Center.
➡️ (26:47) AI bubble fears. Are they legit or overdone?
➡️ (28:26) Can neoclouds shed their CapEx offload brand?
➡️ (30:24) Microsoft’s changing philosophy on AI infra economics?
➡️ (34:24) A recap of Qualcomm Dragonwing IoT Day 2026.
➡️ (38:40) Quantum foundry launch by Anderon.
➡️ (40:16) Intel acquires Classiq out of Israel.
➡️ (43:33) Intel Q3 earnings highlights, strategy update, and PC malaise.

Hit Leonard, Karl, and Jim up on LinkedIn and take part in their industry and tech insights.

Check out Jim and his research at Tirias Research at www.tiriasresearch.com.
Check out Karl and his research at Cambrian AI Research LLC at www.cambrian-ai.com. Check out Karl's Substack at: https://substack.com/@karlfreund429026

Please subscribe to our podcast which will be featured on the neXt Curve YouTube Channel. Check out the audio version on BuzzSprout or find us on your favorite Podcast platform.

Also, subscribe to the neXt Curve research portal at www.next-curve.com and our Substack (https://substack.com/@nextcurve) for the tech and industry insights that matter.

NOTE: The transcript is AI-generated and will contain errors.

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"From the Radio to the RIC" is a podcast series that is a collaboration between Earl Lum of EJL Wireless Research and Leonard Lee of neXt Curve covering mobile wireless technologies and the AI-evolution of the mobile infrastructure and computing.

Once again, we are at Mavenir’s Industry Analyst Event 2026, which is one of the densest and forward-thinking and viewing telco events of the year. Mavenir means (sort of) “future” in French. But the company has been a maverick of the industry that continues to push the frontier of telco and now beyond.

In this episode of "From the Radio to the RIC", Earl and Leonard talk about the following topics and highlights:

➡️ (00:25) What Is Mavenir, and what does it stand for?
➡️ (01:48) Recap of last year's Mavenir Analyst Industry Day
➡️ (02:40) Key themes of Mavenir Industry Analyst Day 2026
➡️ (04:44) 6G Core options for AI-native. Are there any?
➡️ (14:32) The Open RAN Squid Game is officially done
➡️ (15:30) Will mobile sensing be another Squid Game?
➡️ (18:22) Mavenir's multi-access core vision for a heterogeneous connectivity world
➡️ (19:52) The new NeoCloud practice for a new frontier
➡️ (23:02) The massive vertical services fog and pitfalls for NeoClouds
➡️ (24:09) Enabling sovereign AI for government and defense
➡️ (24:42) Open RAN's silver lining moment with NTN
➡️ (25:27) Mavenir's frontier Forward Deployed Engineering differentiation
➡️ (27:57) Network core-focused AI Voice - A key to AI innovation and modernization?
➡️ (30:21) Mavenir's BSS for NeoCloud for agentic and AI FinOps and monetization
➡️ (33:26) The big frontier AI opportunity - Fraud and AI Security?
➡️ (39:41) The essential focus on knowledge management for safe telco AI

EPISODE SUMMARY (AI-generated)
"Leonard Lee and Earl Lum discuss attending Mavenir’s Industry Analyst Day in Allen, Texas, noting the company’s turnaround since last year’s recapitalization and debt restructuring and its renewed focus on high-margin software and profitability.

They highlight candid customer perspectives from O2 Germany and Turkcell, Mavenir’s core-centric strategy (“there’s a core for that”), and debate 6G core “options,” arguing AI implementation should be vendor- and operator-specific rather than standardized.

They say Mavenir has exited the terrestrial Open RAN RAN business, emphasizing small cells, NTN-related work, AI voice capabilities, and expanding security/fraud prevention with faster vulnerability response.

They also describe Mavenir’s forward-deployed engineering model that gets paid, internal AI for efficiency, and a broadened NeoCloud/AI Cloud push targeting sovereign, enterprise, and telco AI cloud segments, while warning the strategy risks spreading focus too thin."

If you would like to set up a meeting, connect with Earl Lum at www.ejlwireless.com and Leonard Lee at www.next-curve.com.

Make a request through our respective request forms.

Please subscribe to our podcast which will be featured on the neXt Curve YouTube Channel. Check out the audio version on BuzzSprout - https://nextcurvepodca... or find us on your favorite Podcast platform.

Also, subscribe to the neXt Curve research portal at www.next-curve.com for the tech and industry insights that matter.

NOTE: The transcript is AI-generated and will contain errors.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only.

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In this special episode of neXt Curve's reThink Podcast, Prakash Sangam, Principal Analyst at Tantra Analyst joins Leonard Lee to cover the top stories in tech.

Qualcomm and Arm were back in court last week. This time Qualcomm is the plaintiff bring a wide-ranging case to a jury in Wilmington, Delaware, which could shape the future of Arm core IP licensing going forward with not only Qualcomm, but the massive base of licensees who depend on Arm's core IP.

Prakash Sangam, Principal Analyst of Tantra Analyst was once again in person in Wilmington to witness the action in the courtroom. He joins Leonard Lee to discuss the highlights, the jury verdict, and the implications as the case awaits the bench ruling anticipated in the coming week.

Prakash and Leonard talk about the following topics and highlights:

➡️ Trial Setup and Background (1:01)
➡️ How Jury and Bench Trials Work (2:43)
➡️ Verdict Overview Three Key Questions (4:21)
➡️ Claim One: ALA Breach Explained (5:36)
➡️ Claim Two: TLA Offer Dispute (7:06)
➡️ Claim Three: Interference and UCL (9:29)
➡️ Meta Relationship and Sealed Testimony (14:00)
➡️ ALA vs TLA Licensing Basics (16:53)
➡️ Industry Shift Arm and Qualcomm Collide (18:34)
➡️ Why UCL Ruling Matters Next (23:56)
➡️ Meaning Of One Dollar (25:28)
➡️ Bench Trial Loose Ends - Liquidated Damages, V10 Licensing, and UCL (28:20)
➡️ Timeline And Appeals (32:44)
➡️ Industry Shifts And Stakes (34:50)
➡️ AI Brings CPUs Back (37:44)

If you would like to set up a meeting, connect with Prakash Sangam at www.tantraanalysis.com.

Please subscribe to our podcast which will be featured on the neXt Curve YouTube Channel. Check out the audio version on BuzzSprout - https://nextcurvepodcast.buzzsprout.com or find us on your favorite Podcast platform.

Also, subscribe to the neXt Curve research portal at www.next-curve.com for the tech and industry insights that matter.

NOTE: The transcript is AI-generated and will contain errors.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for informational purposes only.