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Nicolas Sauvage is betting on the boring parts of AI
Nicolas Sauvage believes it takes four years for the best bets to look obvious — thinking that he shared on stage last week at StrictlyVC’s San Francisco event, which TDK Ventures co-hosted.
It’s a theory he’s been working to prove since 2019, when he founded the corporate venture arm of the Japanese electronics giant, which is now managing $500 million across four funds. The AI chip startup Groq, valued at $6.9 billion during its most recent funding round last fall, is the highest-profile example of this thinking.
In 2020, well before the generative AI boom made infrastructure bets look obvious, Sauvage wrote a check into the company, which was founded by Jonathan Ross — one of the engineers who built Google’s Tensor Processing Units. Groq was focused from the start on inference: the computational heavy lifting that happens every time a model responds to a query. Ross had designed his chip by building the compiler first, stripping the architecture down until, as Sauvage describes it, “you can’t remove one part and have it still work.”
It might have looked niche to some, but knowing what he did about his parent company’s constraints, Sauvage saw asymmetry. Unlike consumer hardware, which has a natural ceiling, demand for inference keeps compounding with every new application and every new model. Sauvage couldn’t know then that demand for inference would explode this year, thanks to every AI agent that plans and acts across dozens of calls (where a single query used to suffice).
But in some ways, Ross got lucky, too. After all, a Japanese electronics conglomerate best known for magnetic tape is not, on its face, the most obvious investing partner. In fact, Sauvage describes TDK Ventures’ own existence as very unlikely. But after two back-to-back Stanford lectures — one making the case for corporate VC, one cataloguing every reason it fails — Sauvage, who is French and joined TDK in Silicon Valley through an acquisition, pitched the idea to higher-ups at TDK headquarters despite having no obvious standing to do so. (“I’m not Japanese. I don’t speak Japanese; I don’t live in Tokyo,” he told this editor.)
After refusing to take no for an answer, he finally received the green light in to build a fund whose mandate was to answer one question: What’s the next big thing for TDK, and what might kill it?
The portfolio he has since assembled is dotted with technologies that have become more widely interesting to VCs over the last year: solid-state grid transformers, sodium-ion batteries for data centers, alternative battery chemistries that sidestep the geopolitical fragility of lithium and cobalt.
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The discipline behind all of it is the same: identify the bottleneck four years out, then find the founders already working on it.
The question, of course, is what’s next. For his part, Sauvage is watching physical AI closely — not all of robotics but robots with a highly specific job to be done. Agility Robotics, for example, in his portfolio, focuses on the single, mundane task of moving things from one place to another in warehouses facing workforce shortages. Another portfolio company, Swiss portfolio ANYbotics, builds ruggedized robots for environments too hazardous for human workers — places where the job definition is essentially to go where people can’t. The through-line is clarity of purpose. The robots Sauvage is betting on don’t try to do everything; instead, they do one hard thing reliably.
Sauvage says he’s also watching the compute stack shift again. GPUs dominated training — the massive, parallel computation of teaching a model. Inference chips like Groq’s are reshaping what happens when that model speaks: faster, cheaper, at scale. Now, Sauvage argues, CPUs are due for a renaissance. They’re not the most powerful chips or the fastest. But they’re the most flexible and best suited to the branching, decision-making logic of orchestration. When an AI agent delegates a task, checks on its progress, and loops back across dozens of steps, something has to manage the whole choreography. That something, increasingly, looks like a CPU.
And then there’s China. A recent report from Eclipse — a venture firm he follows closely — documented what Sauvage describes as “vibe manufacturing” — the rapid, AI-assisted iteration of physical hardware prototyping, mirroring what vibe coding did for software. Chinese manufacturers, the report found, are compressing the design-build-test cycle for physical products in ways Western supply chains aren’t yet equipped to match.
For Sauvage, it’s a bottleneck signal — and one he’s already moving on with TDK Ventures’ various investments. One remaining unsolved problem, he says, is dexterity. Models are improving fast enough that physical AI feels inevitable; what’s still missing is the physical fluency to match. The countries and companies that figure out how to iterate on atoms as fast as others iterate on code will have a manufacturing advantage. That’s the wave for which he’s positioning TDK Ventures today.
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EX-JOS STEEL WORKERS CELEBRATE EFCC ARREST OF ZUMA STEEL BOSS AFTER NEARLY 20 YEARS OF UNPAID ENTITLEMENTS
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Former workers of the defunct Jos Steel Rolling Company in Plateau State have expressed renewed hope following the reported arrest of Dr. Innocent Ozoemena Ezuma, Chairman of Zuma Steel West Africa Limited, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged $120 million fraud involving a Ukrainian investor.
The former employees, including widows and orphans of deceased workers, expressed their reactions during an emergency meeting held in Jos on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The meeting provided an opportunity for the workers to review their longstanding grievances over unpaid salaries, employment entitlements and other unresolved issues dating back nearly two decades.
According to a report by Democracy Newsline, more than 30 former employees attended the meeting to discuss the EFCC investigation and the status of their petition before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions.
HOW THE CRISIS BEGAN
The controversy dates back to 2006, following the privatisation of the Jos Steel Rolling Company and the subsequent involvement of Zuma Steel West Africa Limited.
The former workers alleged that they were re-engaged by the company after the takeover but were subsequently left without regular employment and payment of their outstanding entitlements.
According to accounts provided by the workers, they received only a limited period of full and half salaries before being instructed to stay at home.
They maintain that the situation left many employees and their families in prolonged financial hardship, with some of their former colleagues dying without receiving the benefits they had expected after years of service.
The workers are now seeking answers regarding their employment status, unpaid salaries and other entitlements they claim remain outstanding.
WORKERS SEEK EFCC INTERVENTION
The reported arrest of Ezuma has renewed the workers’ calls for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the company’s takeover and subsequent operations.
The workers want the anti-graft agency to examine their complaints alongside its investigation into the alleged $120 million fraud involving a Ukrainian investor.
They are also seeking scrutiny of allegations relating to the management of the former industrial facility, the handling of its assets and the treatment of employees following the takeover.
However, the workers’ grievances over unpaid entitlements are separate claims that will require appropriate investigation and determination. The reported arrest does not, by itself, establish that the allegations made by the former employees have been proven.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PETITION AWAITS FURTHER ACTION
The former workers have also been pursuing a petition against Dr. Ezuma and Zuma Steel West Africa Limited before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions.
Their leader and lead petitioner, Danjuma Samuel Agbo, a former Public Relations Officer of the company, reportedly told the meeting that the committee concluded its hearing on the petition on September 30, 2026.
The workers are now awaiting the committee’s report and any subsequent action by the House of Representatives.
They hope the legislative process will help address their complaints and clarify the outstanding issues surrounding their employment and entitlements.
FORMER WORKERS RECOUNT YEARS OF HARDSHIP
During the meeting, former employees reportedly recounted their experiences following the takeover.
David Isaiah, who said he was among the first 55 workers recruited by the Federal Government and sent to Germany for training in May 1981, described the development as a source of renewed hope.
Another former employee, Signor Ben, reportedly said the difficulties began after the workers were re-engaged by the company and subsequently instructed to stay at home.
Sani Baba, a mechanical engineer who joined the company in 1983 and worked on spare parts and production-line maintenance, also recounted the challenges faced by former employees.
According to the report, the workers alleged that they had received only a few months of salary payments before their employment situation deteriorated.
They further raised concerns about the treatment of former staff occupying company quarters, alleging that some were asked to pay rent or leave the premises.
These accounts represent the workers’ claims and have not been independently established in their entirety.
📌 WHAT IS THE $120 MILLION FRAUD INVESTIGATION ABOUT?
The EFCC reportedly arrested Ezuma at his Abuja residence on October 19, 2026, over allegations that he obtained more than $120 million from a Ukrainian investor between 2007 and 2015 for mineral exploration and power projects that were allegedly not executed as agreed.
The allegations under investigation reportedly include advance-fee fraud, criminal breach of trust, criminal conversion, obtaining money under false pretences, theft and money laundering.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed the arrest to the News Agency of Nigeria but declined to provide further details about the investigation.
Media reports have also linked the broader investigation to questions surrounding the handling of investment funds and earlier business dealings associated with the businessman.
It is important to note that these are allegations under investigation, not proof of guilt. The reported investment-fraud investigation and the former workers’ employment claims should not be treated as the same case unless the relevant authorities establish a connection.
📌 WORKERS CALL FOR JUSTICE
The former employees have reportedly welcomed the EFCC’s intervention, expressing hope that the investigation will not be compromised and that their longstanding complaints will receive appropriate attention.
For the workers, many of whom say they have waited nearly 20 years for their outstanding entitlements, the immediate concern remains whether their grievances will finally be addressed.
They are looking to the EFCC, the National Assembly and other relevant authorities for a thorough examination of their complaints and any necessary action in accordance with the law.
The case has once again drawn attention to the challenges that can arise when public assets are privatised and questions emerge about the protection of workers’ rights, the management of industrial facilities and accountability.
For Plateau State, the future of the former Jos Steel Rolling Company and the welfare of its former employees remain important issues.
As the investigation continues, the former workers are hoping that their long wait for answers and justice will finally yield results.
Jos Events will continue to monitor developments surrounding the EFCC investigation, the National Assembly petition and the former Jos Steel workers’ demands.
#JosEvents #JosSteelRollingCompany #PlateauState #EFCC #JosNews #WorkersRights
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IASC PatrickLingo Super League 2026: Jendol Set to Sell Zudachi a Defeat as Construction Giants Threaten to Demolish Superstores; Remed Prepare Bitter Medicine for Daily Manna!
The Island AllStars PatrickLingo Super League 2026 returns with a mouthwatering Matchweek 4 on Saturday, October 24, as Jendol Superstores prepare to shut down Zudachi Construction’s championship project, while Remed Healthcare hope to prescribe bitter medicine to Daily Manna Global at the Lagos Business School Sports Arena.
The opening encounter at 8:30 a.m. promises fireworks as Remed Healthcare attempt to cure their inconsistent form against a Daily Manna side desperately searching for its first victory.
Remed began their campaign with a painful 4–2 defeat to Zudachi before administering a 1–0 treatment to Wellborn Hotels. Having enjoyed their Matchweek 3 rest day, the healthcare boys return refreshed and ready to write another winning prescription.
But Daily Manna are not coming to the hospital for treatment. The bakery boys are arriving with freshly baked football surprises!
After losing their opener to Wellborn, Daily Manna shared points with Jendol before serving Zudachi a hot stoppage-time equaliser through Sky-P’s penalty in a thrilling 2–2 draw.
However, the biggest fireworks are reserved for the 10:30 a.m. top-of-the-table blockbuster between Jendol Superstores and Zudachi Construction.
Jendol have become the hottest supermarket in town after checking Wellborn Hotels out with a stunning 3–1 victory, inspired by Chibuike’s brilliant brace.
Now, the supermarket boys want to stock their shelves with another three points and put Zudachi’s championship ambitions on clearance sale!
But Zudachi are no ordinary builders. The construction giants have laid an unbeaten foundation, collecting four points from two matches, and are determined to prevent Jendol from demolishing their position at the summit.
Meanwhile, Wellborn Hotels will enjoy their scheduled rest day, perhaps using the break to renovate their leaking defence after two consecutive defeats.
Sponsored by PatrickLingo Pharmaceuticals Limited, the competition continues to celebrate football, friendship, fitness and sportsmanship.
Will Jendol close Zudachi’s construction site, or will the builders demolish the supermarket? Can Daily Manna serve Remed a winning breakfast?
Saturday will provide the answers!
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