Meet Rahul Unnikrishnan Nair, Mentor at Intel® Liftoff for AI Startups Program

Meet Rahul Unnikrishnan Nair, a mentor at Intel® Liftoff for Startups program and someone who is passionate about shaping the next generation of AI tech startups. Currently holding the position of Architect - Applied AI, and Engineering Lead at Intel® Liftoff, his focus is on early-stage AI startups scaling their solutions from MVP to fully realized products.

Rahul has been working in the machine learning space for the past decade, starting with classical machine learning for the analysis and promotion of solar energy usage during his tenure as a research assistant at the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute.

At Intel, Rahul got the chance to be a part of the tech giant's first open-source AI division, where he worked on optimizing CPU thermals using AI. He shares, "Our team leveraged Deep Reinforcement Learning and digital twins to optimize CPU thermals using AI, inventing techniques for devising algorithms that dynamically manage performance and thermals on laptops."

Rahul's technical breadth extends to security as well. He was a member of the security group for OpenStack, one of the largest public on-prem cloud solutions, and he also served as the lead architect on Accelerated Containers for AI and HPC on Intel hardware.

For Rahul, however, the greatest joy comes from being a mentor. "Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of collaborating with incredible individuals. I've learned immensely from the majority of them and had the opportunity to mentor a few, both in technical aspects and in handling work-related stress and deadlines. My guiding principle has always been to foster a sense of shared responsibility, promote teamwork, and above all, to make sure we have fun building cool things that matter."

As the technical leader at Intel® Liftoff, Rahul interacts with various individuals, from engineers to startups. "It's an enriching experience to engage in dialogue with such a diverse set of minds," he reflects.

Rahul’s Advice for Early-Stage AI Startups

His top tip for early-stage AI startups, Rahul underscores the importance of team dynamics over the product. "If a solution is being built by a cohesive team of collaborators who believe in the product and would themselves use it, then there's a high probability of success. Once you have that, market research comes into play. It's crucial to determine whether there's a market need for your product and whether it can be produced at an acceptable cost."

Rahul fondly recollects a significant mentorship moment when he decided to recruit a young engineer who initially struggled in the interview. He reminisces, "It wasn't his ability but the stress that hindered his performance. Today, he is a significant contributor to our organization. This incident remains significant for me as it reaffirms the importance of fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment."

The lessons learned at Intel have shaped Rahul's mentorship journey. "I consider myself fortunate to have worked at a company that has, in many ways, pioneered the microprocessor industry." he admits.

Rahul's mentorship style, coupled with his technical expertise, continues to light the path for young AI startups at Intel® Liftoff. As he drives them from ideation to fully-fledged solutions, he redefines what it means to be a mentor in the Artificial Intelligence and machine learning community.

Listen to this episode of Code Together, where Rahul explains the Intel Liftoff program. Learn what it is, discover the benefits it offers to help startups achieve their goals, and find out how to get started. 

Are you an early stage AI startup? Discover more about the Intel® Liftoff for Startups here.