RNDR: How 'Airbnb for Graphics Cards' is Powering AI & Modern Media

We sit down with Jules Urbach and Trevor Harries-Jones to chat about Render Network, a protocol built on Solana that lets users rent out access to their graphics cards like they would their spare bedroom on Airbnb. We start the conversation with a deep-dive into the origins of Render by chatting about Jules' journey through founding Otoy and revolutionizing rendered media in Hollywood. We get into the mechanics of how Jules was about to clearly identify a future spike in demand for GPU-driven graphic rendering in 2008. That historical context serves as an excellent launching point into Jules' current thesis on the need for distributed GPU access to power exponentially increasing AI and Spatial Computing jobs. We also learn about the RNDR network journey from 2017 to present across multiple L1 ecosystems before settling on Solana by way of Trevor. It's an extremely insightful conversation that touches on multiple converging technological trends.

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Time Stamps

0:00 - History of OTOY

11:40 - Rising demand for GPUs

21:50 - Render’s multi billion dollar GPU arbitrage 

26:23 - Octane app

30:00 - Move from Ethereum to Solana

33:40 - Render’s supply and demand

39:56 - Render Tokenomics

46:27 - Dealing with crypto skepticism

48:37 - Perceived dangers of AI

54:44 - Jules’ vision for the metaverse

1:00:35 - Spacial computing and its unlock for human connections

1:06:08 - What makes a great founder

1:07:09 - Which tech advancements most excite

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Podcast Resources

Follow Sal: https://twitter.com/Sal_The_Bull

Follow Dave: https://twitter.com/SolBeachBum

Follow Unlayered: https://twitter.com/UnlayeredPod

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or Google: https://unlayered.io/

Clips on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UnlayeredPod

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Episode Resources

Follow Jules : https://twitter.com/JulesUrbach

Follow Trevor : https://twitter.com/drjonessf

Render website : https://RenderNetwork.com

Multicoin Capital essay on Render : https://multicoin.capital/2021/12/21/rendering-the-metaverse/