AI for Industrial Engineering (ep 32)

In our latest episode, Intrepid’s Derby Mill podcast features the CEO and co-founder of UK-based PhysicsX, Jacomo Corbo, for a special in-person episode filmed at our Annual General Meeting in London. The interview, conducted by host Ajay Agrawal and panel members Sendhil Mullainathan and Niamh Gavin, comes just weeks after PhysicsX announced an oversubscribed $300 million Series C investment round that valued the company at $2.4 billion, which included Intrepid participation.The PhysicsX origin story includes Corbo and his co-founder, Robin Tuluie, working on the Formula 1 racing circuit for the Renault team that won back-to-back world championships in 2005 and 2006. (Corbo took a year off from studying computer science for his Ph.D. at Harvard after the Renault team noticed his game-theory based research and asked him to apply it to F1 racing environments, eventually becoming Renault’s chief race strategist.)Corbo and Tulule started PhysicsX in 2019 and now say that their machine-learning foundation models can accelerate simulation for industrial engineering by between 10,000 to 100,000 times. That means more efficient product design cycles, Corbo says, delivered under faster timelines, which in turn translates into better products. Based in London and New York with more than 300 employees, PhysicsX counts among its clients leading organizations in aerospace & defense, automotive, semiconductors, materials, and energy & renewablesOn the agenda in today’s discussion: How do the PhysicsX AI-enabled emulation models differ from conventional simulation? What capabilities does better simulation unlock for today’s industrial engineers? And how will tomorrow’s products differ as a result? In our first-ever in-person episode filmed in London, the Derby Mill tackles it all.PARTICIPANTSJacomo Corbo, co-founder and CEO, PhysicsXAjay Agrawal, co-founder and partner, Intrepid Growth PartnersSendhil Mullainathan, senior advisor, Intrepid Growth Partners, MacArthur Genius grant recipient and professor, MITNiamh Gavin, senior advisor, Intrepid Growth Partners, Applied AI scientist and CEO, Emergent PlatformsLINKSPhysicsX websitePhysicsX press release for its last investment round, in which Intrepid participatedHarvard School of Engineering alumni profile on Jacomo CorboSubscribe to The Derby Mill Series at our Substack (main site) or on YouTube, Spotify or Apple PodcastsDerby Mill is created by the team at Intrepid Growth Partners and produced by Ghost Bureau.DISCUSSION POINTS00:00 Cold open01:10 PhysicsX described03:10 AI Numerical Inference04:00 Governing Physics Equations05:57 Engineering Intuition Limitations08:07 Optimization Computational Barriers10:01 Democratizing Engineering Simulation11:05 Deep Learning Models11:26 Empirical Data Training12:28 Industrial Customer Segments14:41 Approximating Ground Truth15:55 Expanding Design Space17:01 Dark Factory Vision18:56 Key Breakthrough Requirements21:05 Training Data Scarcity22:10 Reinforcement Learning Approach24:59 End-of-One Customization26:27 Influencing Physical World28:31 Scaling Pre-trained Models29:21 Model Attention Mechanisms30:35 High Dimensional Physics32:41 Reducing Exploration Costs35:12 Manufacturing Cost Curves36:52 Sim-to-Real Performance38:15 Improving Causal Inference38:40 Quantum Computing Integration40:01 Innovativeness and NoveltyDISCLAIMERThe content of this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as marketing, solicitation, or an offer to buy or sell any securities or investments. The opinions expressed in this video are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of Intrepid Growth Partners or its affiliates. Any discussion of specific companies, technologies, or industries is for illustrative purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to consult with their own financial, legal, and tax advisors before making any investment decisions. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insights.intrepidgp.com