A key part of that process is the Sales Engineer.
These are engineers deeply immersed in the intricacies and configurations of the chips their company sells.
They do not design the chip but help customers make the most of those chips.
Getting a new chip to work is always a challenge for a customer.
Spend some time building a PC, and the problem becomes obvious very quickly.
Today, every hyperscaler hardware team is bombarded by literallydozens of AI chipsolutions.
Everyone on the team has a friend, cousin, or former roommate pitching them on some new chip.
As such, these teams are loathe to let another salesperson in the door.
But a knowledgeable FAE who can solve actual problems is always welcome.
To say this value is not always appreciated is a major understatement.
Few outsiders are even aware of the role.
More problematic is that most chip companies do not fully value FAEs or really understand their role.
A big part of the problem is that FAEs do not fit neatly into company org charts.
There is considerable conflict within organizations.
In fairness, organizing an effective sales support team is a complicated balance.
That, of course, takes time away from them actually designing the chip.
On the other hand, FAEs need to be motivated to direct their efforts in the right direction.
Often FAEs end up getting pulled in every direction at once.
We have recently been doing a lot of work around this area and on this role.
