korrents

What Austin Vernon thinks about design

@austin-vernon · 42 positions · 0 changes of mind

Engineer and investor who writes quantitative posts about how physical industries actually work — chemical plants, geothermal drilling, shipyards, thermal storage and the economics of low-volume manufacturing — at austinvernon.site.

Austin Vernon did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

12 dated positions, 2021 to 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Austin Vernon has said — not written or endorsed by them.

12 positions so far — this page is not yet offered to search engines.

  1. Our readingReviving American manufacturing needs a better business model rather than a planned economy.

    Their wordsReviving manufacturing doesn't require a planned economy, just a better business model.

    ↗Speed Can Reindustrialize Americaaustinvernon.site 1st of 15 in this piece

    America

    Interesting

  3. Our readingThe right tariff rate for a country trying to rebuild its manufacturing is zero.

    Their wordsZero tariffs are the best way to help them.

    ↗Speed Can Reindustrialize Americaaustinvernon.site 10th of 15 in this piece

    tariffs

    Interesting
  4. 11 months earlier

  5. Our readingMaking a commodity cheaply is a harder startup problem than making something valuable, because the product cannot carry a premium.

    Their wordsMaking ultra cheap products requires different rules and strategy.

    ↗Startup Strategy for Commodity Productsaustinvernon.site

    startups

    Interesting
  6. 4 months earlier

  7. by

    Our readingWhat stands between us and cheap lightweight vehicles is that they are illegal, not that they are hard to build.

    Their wordsCheap, lightweight people movers are currently illegal in many situations, so regulation is a barrier.

    ↗Human Driving Increases Transportation Cost 10xaustinvernon.site 3rd of 3 in this piece

    Interesting
  8. 7 months earlier

  9. Our readingA data centre powered by solar and batteries alone needs an array so oversized that the design is not worth building.

    Their wordsThe solar array sizes under these assumptions are prohibitively large.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 1st of 9 in this piece

    solardata centersbatteries

    Interesting

  11. Our readingCooling adds nothing to what a data centre produces, which is why it is the first thing a good design deletes rather than optimises.

    Their wordsThe cooling systems in most data centers are energy hogs and contribute no direct value.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 3rd of 9 in this piece

    data centersenergy

    Interesting

  13. Our readingAir cooling has run out of headroom for AI racks, so liquid cooling is now a requirement rather than an upgrade.

    Their wordsAI servers bring new challenges because many require liquid cooling.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 4th of 9 in this piece

    Interesting

  15. Our readingAn off-grid data centre can delete its uninterruptible power supplies entirely, because the battery bank outside already is one.

    Their wordsDeleting the UPSs could knock off ~$750/kW after considering equipment, installation, and square footage reduction.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 5th of 9 in this piece

    data centersbatteries

    Interesting

  17. Our readingA data centre should be split into independent power blocks fed directly at 1500 volts DC, rather than run through one central distribution system.

    Their wordsThe 100-megawatt facility might have ten 10-megawatt blocks served directly by a 1500V DC feeder line without connections to other blocks that would require extra switches and routing.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 6th of 9 in this piece

    data centers

    Interesting

  19. Our readingOff-grid data centres will win the way electric cars did, by redesigning the machine around the new power source instead of swapping the power source in.

    Their wordsEfforts to improve efficiency and remove vestigial features pay off handsomely.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 8th of 9 in this piece

    data centerselectric vehicles

    Interesting
  20. 3 months earlier

  21. Our readingShipbuilding productivity depends on clustering yards and suppliers in one place, and it decays when the cluster thins out.

    Their wordsSpecialized suppliers need multiple shipyards in one location to steady their business.

    ↗Revitalizing US Navy Shipbuildingaustinvernon.site 4th of 4 in this piece

    Interesting
  22. 2 years earlier

  23. by

    Our readingThe e-bike market has no cheap standard model, which is what it would take to make the e-bike a mass product.

    Their wordsE-bikes range in price from $1000 to $10,000. The market is still lacking a Toyota Corolla equivalent.

    ↗The Future of E-Bikesaustinvernon.site 1st of 2 in this piece

    Interesting