Why AI Chips Are the New Oil (ft. Rakesh Kumar, author)

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Artificial intelligence may dominate the headlines.

But behind every breakthrough model, every chatbot, and every AI-powered application is something far less glamorous—and arguably far more important:

The semiconductor.

In this episode of FUTUREPROOF., Jeremy Goldman sits down with Rakesh Kumar, Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois and author of THE CHIP AGE: HOW SEMICONDUCTORS BECOME THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL RESOURCE, to explore why the future of AI may ultimately be determined not by software—but by hardware.

As demand for advanced chips accelerates, countries are racing to secure manufacturing capacity, supply chains are becoming geopolitical flashpoints, and data centers are consuming unprecedented amounts of energy. The conversation moves beyond processors themselves to examine what happens when computing power becomes one of the world's most strategic resources.

Jeremy and Rakesh discuss:

• Why semiconductors have become the foundation of the AI economy.
• How the global race for chip manufacturing is reshaping geopolitics.
• Whether export controls are slowing AI—or accelerating global competition.
• Taiwan's critical role in the semiconductor ecosystem.
• Why AI's biggest constraint may soon be electricity rather than algorithms.
• The hidden complexity of global semiconductor supply chains.
• What leaders should understand about the infrastructure powering the next generation of technology.

The AI revolution may be built on software.

But its future will be decided by silicon.