In this episode of Micro Journeys, host Daniel Marrujo sits down with Rehan Kapadia to explore the intersection of imagination, engineering, and access in the world of microelectronics. From a childhood shaped by science fiction to a career at the forefront of semiconductor innovation, Kapadia shares how exponential technological growth is turning once-impossible ideas into reality. The conversation weaves through his academic journey, the evolution of computing, and the systems now enabling faster, more ambitious experimentation in hardware.
At the core of the discussion is a critical challenge: while ideas in technology are abundant, access to the tools required to test and build them remains a major bottleneck. Traditional semiconductor fabrication is prohibitively expensive and complex, limiting who can participate in innovation. Kapadia explains how this gap has historically constrained progress—and how new infrastructure, like Mosis 2.0, is working to democratize access by lowering costs, aggregating resources, and guiding innovators through the process from concept to prototype.
Ultimately, the solution lies in building ecosystems that reduce barriers and accelerate the journey from idea to hardware—making it faster, more accessible, and more scalable for innovators at every level.
What You’ll Discover in This Episode
(01:12) How science fiction inspired a lifelong pursuit of innovation at the edge of human knowledge
(04:22) Why exponential growth in technology is unlocking entirely new possibilities each generation
(17:16) The hidden cost of hardware innovation and why it can take millions just to test an idea
(19:41) How multi-project wafers changed the economics of prototyping in semiconductors
(31:00) The mission behind Mosis 2.0: accelerating the path from idea to hardware
(36:39) What success for Mosis 2.0 looks like
Let’s Connect
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