Earley AI Podcast - Episode 81 : Building AI That Works in the Real World with Krishna Rangasayee
Mon Jan 19 2026
In this episode of the Earley AI Podcast, host Seth Earley welcomes Krishna Rangasayee, Founder and CEO of SiMa.ai, for a grounded conversation on what it takes to make AI work in real world environments. The discussion focuses on moving beyond hype to address the practical challenges of deploying AI systems that are efficient, scalable, and reliable at the edge.
Krishna brings decades of experience across hardware, software, and AI systems design. He shares why many AI initiatives struggle outside controlled environments and how organizations must rethink architecture, performance, and context when deploying AI closer to where data is created and decisions are made. The episode explores why efficiency is not just a cost concern but a core enabler of real time intelligence across industries.
Key Takeaways from this Episode:
Common misconceptions about AI readiness and why scaling models alone does not lead to success
Why edge AI is critical for real time decision making, latency reduction, and operational reliability
How efficiency at the hardware and system level unlocks new AI use cases
The importance of aligning AI architecture with real world constraints such as power, bandwidth, and deployment conditions
Why organizations must rethink the balance between cloud and edge computing
How leadership and culture influence whether AI experimentation turns into production impact
Insightful Quotes from the Show:
"AI success is not about chasing bigger models. It is about understanding the environment where AI actually has to operate and designing systems that work within real constraints." - Seth Earley
"If you want AI to deliver value in the real world, efficiency has to be designed in from the start. Otherwise, intelligence never makes it past the lab." - Krishna Rangasayee
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishnarangasayee/
Website: https://sima.ai
Thanks to our sponsors:
VKTR Earley Information Science AI Powered Enterprise Book
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In this episode of the Earley AI Podcast, host Seth Earley welcomes Krishna Rangasayee, Founder and CEO of SiMa.ai, for a grounded conversation on what it takes to make AI work in real world environments. The discussion focuses on moving beyond hype to address the practical challenges of deploying AI systems that are efficient, scalable, and reliable at the edge. Krishna brings decades of experience across hardware, software, and AI systems design. He shares why many AI initiatives struggle outside controlled environments and how organizations must rethink architecture, performance, and context when deploying AI closer to where data is created and decisions are made. The episode explores why efficiency is not just a cost concern but a core enabler of real time intelligence across industries. Key Takeaways from this Episode: Common misconceptions about AI readiness and why scaling models alone does not lead to success Why edge AI is critical for real time decision making, latency reduction, and operational reliability How efficiency at the hardware and system level unlocks new AI use cases The importance of aligning AI architecture with real world constraints such as power, bandwidth, and deployment conditions Why organizations must rethink the balance between cloud and edge computing How leadership and culture influence whether AI experimentation turns into production impact Insightful Quotes from the Show: "AI success is not about chasing bigger models. It is about understanding the environment where AI actually has to operate and designing systems that work within real constraints." - Seth Earley "If you want AI to deliver value in the real world, efficiency has to be designed in from the start. Otherwise, intelligence never makes it past the lab." - Krishna Rangasayee Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishnarangasayee/ Website: https://sima.ai Thanks to our sponsors: VKTR Earley Information Science AI Powered Enterprise Book