Why Groq - Jim Miller

My career has taught me that most people will ask for what they know. So when they get something unexpected, and better than what they had in mind, it feeds creativity and what I like to call a “virtuous cycle.”

I saw this from the beginning of my career during the early stages of the microprocessor evolution. I joined Intel with a focus on semiconductors as a designer of the i486 microprocessor. It was one of the first generation products that helped enable widespread computing. Millions of these products, available at a reasonable cost, created a computing paradigm and prevalent architecture, drawing a critical mass of software developers to write programs for it. This democratization of computing via processors changed the world by enabling individuals and businesses to use computers in new ways, powering breakthroughs in every industry.?

Most recently I was at Amazon, responsible for the hardware development, delivery, and support for AWS’ compute platforms. Much like microprocessors, cloud changed the name of the game. Before cloud, developing an online presence or outfitting internal corporate computing efforts required server setup, program writing, and networking capabilities. Today, there is no need for the same degree of domain expertise, extensive infrastructure, or massive budgets that were once required. Instead, users can go online, rent time on a server, and use pre-configured tools. Cloud fundamentally lowered the barrier to entry, meaning more and more people are innovating and partaking in the resulting economies.?

In joining Groq as the VP of Hardware Engineering, I believe we will enable a virtuous cycle - that same accelerant that fueled innovation before - for machine learning (ML).?

Groq is providing the path to unexpected innovation with GroqChip ?, based on our Tensor Streaming Processor architecture. It’s unique in its software-first nature, meaning it has deep control of the hardware and gives us incredible advantages of simplicity, performance, predictability (what we call “determinism”), and power efficiency.?

Our solution holds the potential to massively reduce the cost of ML, radically increase its performance, and make scaled compute available and ubiquitous in ways we’ve never seen before. As we continue to provide these breakthrough capabilities to our customers, they will use them in ways we can’t yet imagine, in turn driving further innovation.?

The other part of the equation, intertwined with our technological capabilities, is our powerful combination of unwavering vision and truly committed teams. Strong leadership feeds the first, and a culture of ownership the second. Groq meets these requirements with our small, nimble, and highly talented team and transparent culture that encourages the question, “Why not?”

Groq is hiring. Explore career opportunities to work with Jim and the rest of the team.