What’s Really Powering AI (Nobody Talks About This)

The infrastructure behind AI is massive - learn to leverage it with our free guide to advanced prompt engineering: https://clickhubspot.com/fge

Episode 84: What’s the real infrastructure powering every mind-blowing AI app and model you see today—and are we heading for a “compute bubble”? Nathan Lands (https://x.com/NathanLands) is joined by Evan Conrad (https://x.com/NathanLands), CEO of SF Compute and a leading expert in data centers and AI infrastructure.
Evan, previously an AI audio model founder, now leads SF Compute—building a groundbreaking spot market for AI compute that transforms supercomputers into a tradable, financeable commodity. He’s at the heart of the rapidly growing AI data center industry, shaping how AI is built, scaled, and funded.
This episode pulls back the curtain on the biggest physical build-out in tech history—compute infrastructure. Nathan and Evan break down how AI companies actually get the raw power they need, the economics behind GPU clusters, credit risk bubbles, power constraints in the US vs. China, and why making compute tradable could make or break the future of AI. Whether you’re an investor, founder, or just love tech, this is your crash course in the “invisible” industry driving the AI revolution.

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Show Notes:
(00:00) AI Cluster Economics Explained
(05:59) Venture Capital Dependency Risks
(09:34) GPU Cloud Requires Long-Term Contracts
(10:23) GPU Contracts and Market Solution
(13:57) US vs China: AI Competition
(19:33) Crypto vs. Automation Ambitions
(22:03) US Plutocracy and Environmental Barriers
(26:03) GPU Cluster Investment Management
(26:55) Compute as Real Estate Model
(29:52) Future Skills for a 12-Year-Old
(34:20) Automated In-Home Delivery System


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Mentions:
Evan Conrad:   / evan-conrad  
SF Compute: https://sfcompute.com/
Pipedream: https://pipedream.com/
Udio: https://www.udio.com/
Suno: https://suno.com/
Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/
Waymo: https://waymo.com/

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Check Out Matt’s Stuff:
• Future Tools - https://futuretools.beehiiv.com/
• Blog - https://www.mattwolfe.com/
• YouTube-    / @mreflow  

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Check Out Nathan's Stuff:
Newsletter: https://news.lore.com/
Blog - https://lore.com/

About the Show:
The Next Wave is your personal Chief AI Officer, bringing fresh takes, industry insights and a trustworthy perspective on how to implement AI to grow your business.

Join Matt Wolfe and Nathan Lands, as they democratize the expertise often reserved for the boardrooms of the biggest corporations. From groundbreaking technologies to practical applications, Matt and Nathan will cover everything you need to stay informed and prepared. Whether you're seeking to adapt your company to the AI era or simply curious about the future, this podcast will equip you with the knowledge to thrive in the forthcoming wave of change.

The Next Wave is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by The HubSpot Podcast Network // Production by Darren Clarke // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano