{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Stewart Squared","title":"Episode #103: Scarce to Itself: NVIDIA, Apple, a Driverless Zoox, and the Real Fight Over the Future of Cars","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3705,"description":"In this episode of Stewart Squared, Stewart Alsop III and Stewart Alsop II dig into the fast-moving world of self-driving cars — from Cruise's rocky history and Waymo's expansion to Zoox's driverless design and NVIDIA's growing role as the go-to OEM partner for automakers building software- and AI-defined vehicles — before the conversation branches into dual-use tech lessons from Ukraine, the US-China race in autonomy and semiconductors, the DRAM memory shortage squeezing Apple and the gaming industry, Slate's stripped-down electric truck, and a closing riff on performance-based, subscription-driven podcasting.\nTimestamps\n00:00 — Self-driving cars and the fallout from Cruise’s collapse; where AVs are operating now, plus the role of NVIDIA in autonomous vehicles.\n00:05 — Software-defined cars, Level 4 autonomy, and why Waymo and Zoox matter; how regulation and city-by-city permits shape rollout.\n00:10 — Dual-use autonomy in war zones, liability, and the shift from consumer adoption to fleet adoption; NVIDIA’s place as a supplier, not a prime.\n00:15 — Why NVIDIA is strategically positioned across chips, software, and cars; comparisons with Tesla, Rivian, Ford, and GM.\n00:20 — China’s open-source AI push, RISC-V, control vs openness, and the tension between state control and innovation.\n00:25 — The rise of neo-primes like Anduril, how the Pentagon buys systems, and why the U.\nS. defense market favors trust and scale.\n00:30 — A broader debate on capitalism vs communism, China’s economic strain, and whether the future looks more centralized or decentralized.\n00:35 — The memory crisis: DRAM, GPUs, Apple, and video games getting squeezed as AI demand drives prices up.\n00:40 — Cheap EV disruption with Slate, new form factors, and how car design may split between utility-first and premium autonomous vehicles.\n00:45 — The city itself changing: AVs, urban planning, flying-car ideas, and how autonomy could reshape Los Angeles and beyond.\n00:50 — Pricing scarce compute,...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/QlC48R1fevmul8S_Y7L1P2WUMnEKqwNUR7TBsNqFHaE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84NDMx/NWQ0MWQ1Y2NkNjhk/ZDI1NWE0MTUyN2Q5/Zjg0NS53ZWJw.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}